Matt
Nabeer
Keenan
Catalina Island Leadership Program
Garibaldi and Leopard Shark
Introduction
For our research project we studied the ocean’s ecosystem at Howland’s
Landing on Catalina Island. Catalina Island is part of the Channel Islands.
It is an island miles off the coast of California that has beautiful
scenery
and a wonderful beach. We took samples, measured the depth, salinity,
turbidity, and other things of the Pacific Ocean. We explored the extinct
kelp forest, and the witnessed all the local fish. We kayaked, snorkeled,
and hiked all around the island. We were at Catalina Island for 5 days.
It was a great trip packed with learning and fun. The ocean was full
of
life, and all of the sea creatures are very interesting. The fish all
depend on each other to survive, showing that everything is connected.
In this paper, we will be discussing the animals which were the most
interesting
and prevalent of all the fish around Catalina, the Garibaldi, and the
Leopard Shark.
Research
Our lab team,
consisting of Nabeer Khan, Keenan Simon, and Matt Prusak, mainly focused
on comparing and contrasting all of the aspects of the leopard shark and
the garibaldi. Our specific question is, “What are the similarities
and differences between the Leopard Shark and the Garibaldi in all aspects?”
We included studying each of the species’ habitat, association with
other fish, feeding habits, where they live (and in what temperature,
how muck salinity, turbidity and depth of that area), and other aspects
of their lives and surroundings. The reason why we chose these fish is
because they seemed to be very abundant near Howland’s Landing,
and proved very interesting. We recorded much of our data by observing
the species under the water. Using underwater cameras, we took pictures
of both the garibaldi and the leopard shark. We used many methods to study
these fish’s lives, such as counting the quantity of the fish during
the Rover Diver Fish Count when we were snorkeling, and we measuring the
ocean’s depth and turbidity using the weight and secchi disk on
a string. Using the water sampler, we took a water sample and later found
the salinity and turbidity of the water. We used the GPS to mark where
we saw the fish and collect our data. We used these tools on our kayak
trips and during the snorkel. During the kayaks and the snorkels, we
collected
most of our data.
Result
The Leopard
Shark, also known as the Triakis Semifasciata, can be found along the
coastal area of the eastern Pacific Ocean and the coast of North America,
from Oregon to Baja, California. They live in bay environment, either
near the shore or sometimes in the open ocean. The bays where leopard
sharks live are usually muddy or sandy. It is a hound shark, which is
a family of ground sharks. The leopard shark can grow up to 7 feet (2
m) in length. It has a long and skinny body and head. It is called the
leopard shark because of its markings on its body. They serve as camouflage
against spotted ground. Leopard sharks feed off the ground. It is either
silver or brown. During season change, leopard sharks migrate. During
the months in the summer, leopard sharks swim together off the coast of
San Diego. A pregnant female can carry 4 to 29 young per litter. They
are born alive. Leopard sharks are oviviparous, which means the female
gives birth to live offspring that have formed from eggs hatched inside
her body. The sharks sometimes hunt in groups, similar to a wolf pack.
They hunt sometimes with smooth-hound sharks. Leopard sharks are benthic
invertebrates, which are bottom-dwelling animals. They feed on Worms,
Clams, Crabs, Shrimp, Octopus, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Fat Innkeeper Worms,
Clam Siphons, Midshipmen fish, Guitarfish, Shiner Perch, Bat Rays, Smoothhounds,
and a variety of fish eggs, Bony fish, Herring, Topsmelt, Jacksmelt, Cartilaginous
fish, and small fish. The Leopard Shark use their small pointed to capture
their prey. They eat only the as much of the animal they can ingest. The
diet of Leopard Shark varies with season and size.
The Garibaldi is a fish that is native to the northern subtropical parts
of the Pacific Ocean. It is California’s state fish, which makes
it protected from fisherman. It is the largest member of the damselfish
family. These fish have small, narrow mouths, a sort of oval body, and
a short tail in the shape of a heart, and stubby fins. There are known
for their brilliant orange color, and they can grow up to 35 centimeters
long. Juvenile Garibaldi have iridescent blue spots that you cannot miss.
We found these fish in depths of nine meters to about 16 meters. They
live in the kelp forests, but in the event of an El Nino year, they live
among over rocky sea bottoms and among reefs in warm, shallow water. They
prefer saltwater regions. These fish are fearless and territorial, and
with face a much larger creature to protect “their” part of
the sea. The Garibaldi can change its sex many times throughout its lifetime.
They become aggressive, especially when protection their young, Much of
the Garibaldi’s diet consists of sponges, anemones, worms, small
crabs, mollusks, algae, and nudibranchs. They mainly feed on invertebrates
they find and remove from rocks. Garibaldi predators are sea lions, cormorants,
and also terns, but their predators are warned and warder off by the Garibaldi’s
bright color. Garibaldi are also not afraid to attack any fish that enters
their territory. They are found to associate with kelp bass and many
types
of schooling fish such as smelt and anchovies. They are also found near
leopard sharks. The male builds the nest and takes care of the eggs and
the young. Once the male builds the nest, he tries tot attract the female
to his nest by doing dances, however, the female makes her decision by
the quality of the nest. To make the nest appealing, the male moves all
the debris away from the area of the nest. Once she decided that it is
suitable, she deposits her eggs, then returns to her own territory. The
female is more likely to deposit her eggs in a nest that already has
eggs
in it.
Conclusions
We found where both the Leopard shark and the garibaldi live, and how
they live and help their ecosystem. Garibaldi tend to live in slightly
rocky areas and Leopard Sharks like sandy bottoms, which is conducive
to their feeding habits. We also found the depth, turbidity, and salinity
of the ocean. We marked the locations where we took the information,
and
learned about the different locations at Howland’s Landing. We
observed where they lived, such as what they live around and the temperature
and
depth in which they live, and if they traveled alone, or with other sharks.
We also noted them feeding off of different things. I had the uncertainty
that we would not see as much Leopard sharks or Garibaldi, but instead
they are both very abundant in the ocean. I was not able to dive down
into the ocean to get a better look at the fish, and if I decided to
further
my research I would definitely consider SCUBA diving. We, unfortunately,
were not able to see the lively kelp forest as it usually is because
the
water was to warm for it to survive in July of 2006. If I could build
on this project, I would study the fish at different times of the day
and year, and study them more specifically and observe how they interact
with others. During an El Nino year, the fish might migrate to a different
part of the ocean to be in colder and full of nutrients water. The Garibaldi
both live and feed off the kelp, and the kelp will die if to hot, so
the
Garibaldi could be greatly affected. This may force the fish to change
their diet and other aspects of their lives. If they were unable to adapt
to that situation, they could possibly die from the overwhelming heat
of the ocean.
We noticed that the garibaldi favored slightly rocky areas while the Leopard
Shark lives in sandy areas that are clear, and moderately warm, where
there their food is. Garibaldi lay eggs while the Leopard Shark give live
birth. We noticed that the Garibaldi traveled alone because they are very
territorial and possessive while the Leopard shark traveled in groups
and did not mind if other fish came upon its territory.
The Leopard Shark’s mouths were out of sight because they are located
underneath their body. All of the leopard sharks were grey, white, and
black. They were calm when we observed them, especially when we were
approaching
the shore, the leopard sharks just calmly swam right next to us. The
Garibaldi is beautiful with a vivid orange color that was visible from
even above
the water. The Juveniles were very small with also very vivid orange,
but also had bright blue spots. They did not seem to mind us when we
were
snorkeling. We have learned that the both the leopard shark and the Garibaldi
are calm creatures that are only trying to survive.
