Dec. 15, 2013 - West Coast Trip-Part 6-Elephant Seals

On our West Coast trip, Diana and I drove along Hwy. 1, which follows the California coastline. Near San Simeon, we stopped at an Elephant Seal rookery. At the time we arrived (late October) some seals were already there sleeping on the sand. By the end of December, this beach will be covered with seals.

SealElephantgroupSanSimeon20131027

From late November to early March, seals gather in rookeries to give birth, nurse their pups, and then mate. They spend eight to ten months in the open ocean but will come back to the rookery for a short time to molt. They make dives of up to 5000 feet searching for their favorite foods (skates, rays, squid, octopuses, and eels). It helps that they can hold their breath for up to 100 minutes!

SealElephantgroupSanSimeon20131027

The larger, darker seal in the middle is a sub-adult male, about half grown. Mature males, who arrive later, are 14 to 16 feet long and weigh 3000 to 5000 pounds. They will each defend an area of the beach and attempt to attract a large harem of females. Sub-adult males will be out of luck until they reach maturity.

SealElephantsubadultSanSimeon20131027

Here’s a close-up of the male in the previous photo. He is starting to develop the long snout which looks like an elephant’s trunk and gives the seals their name.

SealElephantsnoutSanSimeon20131027

Here are two young seals “play fighting.” It’s quite harmless at this stage but fights between mature males can become very bloody as they defend their space on the beach.

SealElephantplayfightingSanSimeon20131027

Here’s a cute photo of two seals. It looks like one is giving the other a big smooch and thoroughly enjoying it. To learn more about Elephant Seals, click on this link to the Friends of the Elephant Seal. http://www.elephantseal.org/

SealElephantfunnyposeSanSimeon20131027