These Fish Are All About Sex on the Beach | Deep Look

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 03:46:10 +0000

During the highest tides, California grunion stampede out of the ocean to mate on the beach. When the party's over, thousands of tiny eggs are left stranded up in the sand. How will their lost babies make it back to the sea?

SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! http://goo.gl/8NwXqt

DEEP LOOK is a ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.

* NEW VIDEOS EVERY OTHER TUESDAY! *

With summer just around the corner, Southern California beaches are ready to welcome the yearly arrival of some very unique and amorous guests. That’s right, the grunion are running!

California grunion are fish that spend their lives in the ocean. But when the tides are at their highest during spring and summer, grunion make a trip up onto beaches to mate and lay eggs.

Grunion mate on beaches throughout southern California and down into into Mexico. The grunion runs have taken on a special importance to coastal communities Santa Barbara to San Diego.

For some, coming out to see the grunion run has been an annual tradition for generations. For others it’s a rare chance to catch ocean fish with their bare hands.

--- What are grunion?
California grunion are schooling fish similar to sardines that live in the Pacific Ocean that emerge from the sea to lay their eggs on the sand of beaches in Southern California and down the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. There are also smaller populations in Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay. Another species, the Gulf Grunion lays their eggs in the northern shores of the Gulf of California. California Grunion are typically about six inches in length.

--- Why do grunion mate on land?
The ocean is full of predators who would like to gobble up a tasty fish egg. The grunion eggs tend to be safer up on the beach if they can make it there without raising the attention of predators like birds and raccoons. Grunion eggs have a tough outer layer that keeps them from drying out or being crushed by the sand.

--- When do California grunion run?
California grunion typically spawn from March to August. The fishing season is closed during the peak spawning times during May and June. See https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/fi....shing/ocean/grunion# for more detailed info on grunion seasons.

---+ Read the entire article on KQED Science:
https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2....017/06/06/these-fish

---+ For more information:
http://www.grunion.org/

---+ More Great Deep Look episodes:

Sea Urchins Pull Themselves Inside Out to be Reborn | Deep Look
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak2xqH5h0YY

Sticky. Stretchy. Waterproof. The Amazing Underwater Tape of the Caddisfly | Deep Look
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3BHrzDHoYo

The Amazing Life of Sand | Deep Look
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkrQ9QuKprE&list=PLdKlciEDdCQDxBs0SZgTMqhszst1jqZhp&index=51

---+ See some great videos and documentaries from the PBS Digital Studios!

How Much Plastic is in the Ocean? | It's Okay To Be Smart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFZS3Vh4lfI

White Sand Beaches Are Made of Fish Poop | Gross Science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SfxgY1dIM4

What Physics Teachers Get Wrong About Tides! | Space Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwChk4S99i4

---+ Follow KQED Science:

KQED Science: http://www.kqed.org/science
Tumblr: http://kqedscience.tumblr.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kqedscience

---+ About KQED

KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate based in San Francisco, serves the people of Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. Home to one of the most listened-to public radio station in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program, KQED is also a leader and innovator in interactive media and technology, taking people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas.

Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, which is also supported by HopeLab, the David B. Gold Foundation, the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Smart Family Foundation and the members of KQED.