NUDIBRANCHS
So called because their gills (branchs) are exposed on their backs, nudibranchs are among the most colorful and unique creatures in the tidepools.  Nudibranchs are gastropods, meaning stomach-foot.  They use the same organ for both feeding and locomotion.  Snails are also gastropods; you can think of nudibranchs as snails without shells.

ISLA SAN JORGE: Ecology
Consisting of three main islands and four smaller islands, Isla San Jorge is arid and rocky with no known native plants. It sounds inhospitable, but fish-eating bats, blue-footed boobies, magnificent tropicbirds, and California sea lions thrive on the Islands. The reefs and waters around San Jorge support a diversity of life. Marine invertebrates of commercial importance, like sea cucumbers, scallops, mussels, oysters, snails and octopi as well as a variety of fish live in the waters surrounding San Jorge.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The name Puerto Peñasco derives from 19th century maps drafted by Lieutenant William Hardy who visited the region to scout for potential pearl fisheries. Lt. Hardy dubbed the area as Rocky Point, after the prominent rocky basaltic headland that locates the town today.  It later became known in Spanish as Puerto Peñasco or “Rocky Port”, as the estuary at the base of the mountain gave natural refuge to boats. The Puerto Peñasco estuary was converted into the current harbor in 1967. Rocky Point was also known by fishermen as “Cerro Ballena” or Whale Hill, for its whale-like shape.

WHALES
There are thirty-four species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) found in the Gulf of California. Eight species of baleen whales have been seen in the Gulf. The fin whale is here year round, while humpbacks feed in the rich waters of the Gulf after bearing young. The sperm whale is found year-round in the deeper waters of the Gulf. Gray whales, known for their winter migration to the Pacific lagoons of Baja California for calving can also be found venturing into the Gulf with their young.

BARREL CACTUS (BIZNAGA) 
This round and ribbed cactus is aptly named. It grows throughout the Sonoran Desert. Many cacti have strategies to prevent sunburn. Saguaros develop a tougher skin on their exposed side. Barrel cacti tend to lean toward the south to protect more of their surface from the sun. This is why they are sometimes called the “compass cactus.”

SPORT FISHING
Sport or recreational fishing involves many types of boats and species, and both local and foreign fishermen. Sport fishers target top predator fish, like bass and grouper, which has a cascading effect on the marine ecosystem. As tourism booms sport fishing has grown in importance. Today there are about 170 sport fishing boats based in Puerto Peñasco.  Industrial and small-scale fisheries still dominate in the gulf.

PENCIL URCHIN
Found in the lower intertidal zone, these beautiful echinoderms are heavily defended with spines and toxins. A touch to these thick, blunt spines will give a painful wound. The pencil urchin grazes on algae, grasses, kelp, sponges and decaying fish matter. It scrapes food into its mouth using five beak-like teeth. The urchins traverse the ocean floor on hundreds of tiny tube-like feet.