· Subtropical Sea
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
· Looking Ahead

Global 200 Snapshot

The Gulf of California is a highly productive sea. Some of the unusual species of vertebrates and invertebrates here are endemic.  

Subtropical Sea

The small subtropical sea between the mainland of Mexico and the Baja Peninsula is the Gulf of California--a large inlet once fed by several rivers, including the mighty Colorado, now reduced to a trickle due to a series of dams upstream in the U.S. These rivers provide nutrients to the Gulf of California and push bottom waters up to the surface, making the Gulf's waters cooler and less salty than many tropical areas.

Special Features

The northern part of the Gulf is shallow, but the south has depressions more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) deep. These variations in depth create powerful tides. Such variations help the ecoregion support diverse marine animals, including unusual endemic species.

Male seahorses become pregnant and give birth. A female deposits hundreds of her ripe eggs into the male’s pouch, where they become fertilized. The pouch is then sealed. Each developing egg receives nutrients and oxygen from the male. After two to three weeks, depending on the species and water temperature, the male gives birth to the young. The males are usually able to become pregnant again right after giving birth.

Wild Side

The Gulf's waters are alive with colorful fish, including Mexican rockfish, Cortez angelfish, roughjaw frogfish, and the endemic, endangered totoaba. Marine turtles such as the hawksbill, olive ridley, loggerhead, and a rare population of green turtles, called black turtles, paddle about. They meet hammerhead sharks and endangered vaquita porpoises, the latter of which are endemic to this ecoregion. The shrieks of Heerman's gulls fill the air, and Forster's terns gather during breeding season. Blue whales also spend time in the Gulf, but a group of fin whales lives there all year round. Nocturnal Pacific seahorses cruise amongst gorgonian and black corals.

Cause for Concern

Diversion of the Colorado River for irrigation has seriously altered the ecology of the Gulf. Overfishing threatens some species, and bottom trawlers destroy eelgrass beds and kill shellfish. Pollution and mining are also important threats.

Looking Ahead

Check back soon for more about the conservation of this ecoregion.