San Miguel Island - Fauna

Fauna

In July, 2011, researchers discovered that a "loomerie" (breeding colony) of the California Common Murre (Uria aalge californica) had returned to Prince Island, an islet off San Miguel Island, for the first time since 1912. Like penguins, the football-size black-and-white seabirds use their wings to "fly" deep underwater, but unlike penguins, they also fly in the air. This colony disappeared nearly a century ago, likely because of egg harvesting, but now their southern range is re-established.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "Great white sharks haunt the waters around San Miguel Island, where they feast on seals and sea lions." An urchin diver named James Robinson is believed to have been killed by a shark off Harris Point in the area known as Shark Park in 1994.

Coordinates: 34°02′23″N 120°22′32″W / 34.03972°N 120.37556°W / 34.03972; -120.37556

Read more about this topic:  San Miguel Island

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