Laguna Ojo de Liebre
Encyclopedia
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
's Eye Lagoon", is a coastal lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
located in Mulegé Municipality near the town of Guerrero Negro
Guerrero Negro
Guerrero Negro is the largest town located in the municipality of Mulegé in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur . It had a population of 13,054 in the 2010 census. Guerrero Negro is served by Guerrero Negro Airport.- Whale Festival :...
in the northwestern part of the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
. It lies approximately halfway between the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
and the U.S.-Mexico border, facing the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
; it is part of the Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve UNESCO World Heritage Site and also a major commercial salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
plant. It is an important habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
for the reproduction and wintering of the gray whale
Gray Whale
The gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of about , a weight of , and lives 50–70 years. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were...
and harbor seal
Harbor Seal
The harbor seal , also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere...
, as well as other mammals including the California sea lion
California Sea Lion
The California sea lion is a coastal sea lion of western North America. Their numbers are abundant , and the population continues to expand about 5% annually. They are quite intelligent and can adapt to man-made environments...
, northern elephant seal
Northern Elephant Seal
The northern elephant seal is one of two species of elephant seal . It is a member of the family Phocidae . Elephant seals derive their name from their great size and from the male's large proboscis, which is used in making extraordinarily loud roaring noises, especially during the mating...
and blue whale
Blue Whale
The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At in length and or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed....
. Four species of endangered marine turtles reproduce there. It is an important refuge for waterfowl in the winter.
Encompassing both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major salt plant, Laguna Ojo de Liebre embodies the diverse worlds of natural habitat and industrialization.
Tourism, now closely controlled, was formerly a threat to the gray whales.
Description
Laguna Ojo de Liebre is a large, shallow salty watery habitat that is 9 km wide, 48 km long and from 5 to 12 m in depth. Relatively deep channels cut through the lagoon between its broad intertidal flats. The climate is dry and warm; the annual temperature ranges from 18° C and 22° C. Annual rainfall can vary from none to 200 mm. The lagoon is surrounded by coastal dunes (ranging from 12 to 15 m in height) which support an unstable community of vegetation, and sandy beaches, some of them with shoalShoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
s.
Industrialization is leaving its mark on the area. There is a rectangular evaporation pond for the harvesting of salt, some large salt flats, and other barriers and channels built to enclose and flood shallow brine pans (yellow-greenish in color in the picture at right) on the eastern side of the lagoon.
Geology
Geological studies indicated that Laguna Ojo de Liebre began as a pocket beachPocket beach
Pocket beach is usually a small beach, between two headlands. In an idealized setting, there is very little or no exchange of sediment between the pocket beach and the adjacent shorelines....
on the coastal plain
Coastal plain
A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southwestern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity...
of Baja California at a time when the ocean was some 12 meters lower than today's level. Tidal changes resulted in the formation of inlet
Inlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
s and sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
from nearby river gradually built a barrier to form the lagoon.
History
In December 1857, Charles Melville ScammonCharles Melville Scammon
Charles Melville Scammon was a 19th-century whaleman, naturalist, and author. He was the first to hunt the gray whales of both Laguna Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio Lagoon, the former once being called "Scammon's Lagoon" after him. In 1874 he wrote the book The Marine Mammals of the North-western...
, in the brig Boston, accompanied by the schooner-tender Marin, under Lefft, first entered Laguna Ojo de Liebre to hunt the gray whales breeding there. They caught twenty. Scammon returned to the lagoon the next winter (1858-59), this time with the bark Ocean Bird and the schooner-tenders A.M. Simpson and Kate, under Easton and Hale. He caught forty-seven cows, which produced 1700 barrels (270.3 m³) of oil. He was accompanied by six other vessels (five barks and one schooner), which obtained an additional 5300 barrels (842.6 m³) of oil (about 150 whales). A high of eleven vessels visited the lagoon in the winter of 1859-60, but they obtained considerably less oil—4970 barrels (790.2 m³) (c. 140 whales). Eight vessels (all sent by U.S. merchants, except one: the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n brig Constantine, under Lindholm) the next season got even less: a little over 3300 barrels (524.7 m³) from about 90 whales. Only a few ships visited the lagoon the following three seasons—in the first season they obtained 1900 barrels (302.1 m³); the second 1200 barrels (190.8 m³); and in the third only about 250 barrels (39.7 m³). When the bark Louisa visited the lagoon in the winter of 1872-73 she only obtained 70 barrels (11.1 m³) of oil. It was abandoned after that.