Awkward and cumbersome on land, harbor seals maneuver with grace and agility in the water.

Like a battered boxer, the bulky, blunt-headed Risso's dolphin bears lots of scars.

Striking geometric patterns and yellowish side patches make this the most colorful dolphin.

One of the most commonly seen whales in Monterey Bay, the gray whale migrates up to 12,000 miles each year — the longest migration of any mammal.

Humpback whales have the most complex and varied songs of any whale species. Their haunting calls carry for miles beneath the sea.

The elephant seal gets its name from its enormous size and the male’s inflated nose, which resembles a shortened elephant trunk.

 Sooty shearwaters are long-distance champions, undertaking remarkable yearly migrations.

Despite its name, this brownish-black bird with large feet seldom eats oysters.

The blue whale is the biggest animal in the world. Yet, it feeds on teeny weeny prey and has a throat smaller than your hand.

Pelagic cormorants travel open, windswept coasts and nest on steep, remote cliffs.

A western gull will harass cormorants and pelicans, forcing them to regurgitate their catch – which the gull will then quickly gobble up.

The common bottlenose dolphin uses pulses of sound emanating from its forehead to locate and possibly stun prey animals.