Cambira, Elephant Seals

What is an elephant seal? A deep-sea diver, a long distance traveler, an animal that fasts for long periods of time, elephant seals are extraordinary. They come together on land to give birth, mate, and molt but at sea they are solitary. Tremendous demands are placed on their bodies.

In Cabmbria we saw elephant seals on the beach. The seals are loud; they make honking/barking sounds called roaring.

The seals are huge and ugly, but I loved watching them. The seals were really big and you can't believe how fast something that big can move.

According to Friends of the Elephant Seals, The Northern Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris , is an extraordinary marine mammal. It spends eight to ten months a year in the open ocean, diving 1000 to 5000 feet deep for periods of fifteen minutes to two hours, and migrating thousands of miles, twice a year, to its land based rookery for birthing, breeding, molting and rest. The Piedras Blancas rookery, on Highway 1 seven miles north of San Simeon on the California Central Coast, is home to about 15,000 animals. The area is open for viewing every day of the year. Elephant seals are sexually dimorphic, that is the males are much larger than the females. Females grow to 9-12 feet and weigh between 900-1800 pounds. Males grow to 14-16 feet long and weigh in at 3000-5000 pounds, or more. Female elephant seals give birth for the first timearound 4 years old, though the range is between 2-6 years of age. Females are considered physically mature at age 6 with a life expectancy of 20 years. Males enter puberty around 4 years of age, at which time the nose starts to grow. The nose is a secondary sexual characteristic, like a man's beard., and can reach the astonishing length of 2 feet. Males reach physical maturity around 9 years old. Prime breeding age is 9-12, and they have a life expectancy of 14 years.

The seals were molting during the time we were in California. The mottled coats are the older coats of skin and hair and the new coats are shiny and silvery. In some of my pictures you see the seals flipping sand over themselves, that is a form of sunscreen to protect the new coats.

Sleeping Beauty

According to CA.Gov (parks) ... Molting Pinnipeds, like other mammals, must replace old skin and hair. Most animals shed hairs year-round, but elephant seals do it all at once. The molting process is so abrupt in the elephant seal that is called a catastrophic mold. During spring and summer months, elephant seats return to... for their annual molts.

• April to May- Females and juveniles
• May to June- sub-adult males
• July-August- Adult males- we saw the larger males (2 large males play-fighting)