Part of the attraction of the Oregon Coast is the rocky shoreline and the tide pools it enables. Look in the right area, like the protected tide pools of Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, and you'll find everything from tide pool regulars like limpets and sculpin (tiny tidepool fish) to colorful nudibranchs, sea stars, and (if you're lucky) maybe a young octopus! I didn't get to see some of those less common tide pool dwellers, but I've seen my fair share those dauntless critters and their shallow homes.
Invertebrates are also well-represented away from the coast's beaches. Given the moderate climate, arthropods (insects, arachnids, etc) and mollusks such as the banana slug below alike thrive and prosper year-round. Their presence enables the presence of animals that have to migrate south further inland.
The coast is home to various species of reptiles and amphibians, none of whom I managed to photograph. There are 7 species of salamander, 5 species of frog, the elusive Rough-Skinned Newt, and 2 species of squamate, the Northern Alligator Lizard and the Common Garter Snake. Of these, I only saw the Rough-Skinned Newt and the Bullfrog, which has more to do with the time of year than it does with their relative abundances.
Now, this shouldn't come as a shock to you, but the Oregon coast is a great place for fish. Rockfish of just about every shape and size inhabit the waters of the coast of, in addition to wolf eels, lingcod, kelp greenling, cod, mackeral, herring, sharks, and skates, in addition to prized game fish like salmon and the mighty Pacific Halibut. A wide variety of crab can be found, including the common (and tasty) Dungeness Crab.
Note: All pictures taken at Oregon Coast Aquarium (because duh). |
So yeah, that's about it for animal life on the coast. Nothing else, clearly. Is there? Could I be forgetting something?
Find out next time.
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