The males arrive in December, and battle for the opportunity to stay on the beach for the following several months to mate after the females are done nursing. During that time the alpha males will get little time to relax, and no time at all to drink or eat. The strange elongated elephant trunk like nose they sport is in fact an adaptation to aid in reducing water loss, as well as helping to amplify the loud grunting sounds they make to assert their dominance.

 

 

During their brief moments of rest on the beach they may look like fat docile cuddly creatures, but make no mistake, these 9,000 lb beasts are incredibly dangerous (they are in fact the largest animal in the order Carnivora, which includes lions, tigers, and bears, (oh my!)). The older males all have heavily scarred skin, and their necks are covered in bloody scabs from brutal fights. The fights typically break out when one male wanders too close to another one’s territory (ie. group of ladies), then they take it out to the open sand or water and sort things out.

 

 

 

Females begin arriving mid-December and give birth within a few days of coming ashore. By mid January the majority of the females have arrived and the beach is packed with their blubbery bodies and little pups. The mothers will then nurse their pups for about four weeks, during which time the youngsters will grow from 70 lbs to over 300 lbs. By the time they’re done nursing the females are exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, having just spent the last month or more without any sustenance. Before heading back to sea to feed, they mate with one of the alpha males so they can start the cycle all over again.

 

Getting a creative photo that told the complete story of the scene was a real challenge. But under the unlikely conditions of clear skies and full sun around 11am (almost) everything came together. I say almost, because well, it’s tough to get 150 subjects to cooperate, but they did remarkably well! I didn’t make up that number of 150, I actually did try to count the seals in the photo. Based on that count I’d estimate that there were easily over 600 Elephant Seals at the beach that day.

 

 

While the day was perfectly clear and comfortably warm, a thin set of clouds rolled in for sunset on Saturday and promised an exciting sunset. What caught me by surprise, however, was just as the sun dipped below the ocean’s horizon I saw an unmistakeable green blob appear for about two seconds: the green flash! I had never seen it before, so it was a real highlight for me. Unfortunately I had my wide angle mounted, so I don’t have any photos to share. If you’re unfamiliar with this rare and fascinating phenomenon, read up on it (onwikipedia) and stay alert next time you’re at the beach for sunset!

 

What I found most fascinating about the experience is that in one place, at one time, you can see so much of the life cycle of this one animal: fights for dominance, births, nursing, and mating. Just be prepared for some crowds – it was packed when I was there. Fortunately the seals are so loud, that you hardly notice the people.