likely that Chumash peoples carried the initial cones in their Tomols. The pygmy mammoth, an extinct, endemic species, were capable swimmers able to cross the channel and adapt to the island environment by insular dwarfism. Risk of ship-whale collisions As of at least 2011, a few endangered species of whale (including blue, fin, and humpback) have begun to feed in a new area north of the Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands of the Santa Barbara Channel. These whales are at risk to be struck by ships passing through a shipping lane used to move goods south to Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. About 100 collisions have been documented off of the coast of California since 1982, which includes a rate of about 6 per year today, possibly more due to the difficulty of observing the incidents. Scientists estimate that over 80 endangered whales are killed from vessel collisions off the U.S west coast each year. See also Offshore oil and gas in California References External links Oil companies continue efforts for permission to drill in the channel Landforms of the Channel Islands of California Channel Channel Straits of California