I came across a couple elephant seals practicing for "America's Got Talent"
Jun 18, 2019 13:03:54 #
Actually an 11 year old image taken on the beach at San Simeon Calif which is not far from Hearst Castle.
First image is in May 2008 and only the girls are on the beach at that time. Second image is 3 months later when the boys have the beach.
Elephant Seals spend most of their time out at sea and travel far. The girls head out for waters north of Hawaii. And the boys head north by the Aleutian Islands where they feed.
Both come back in Dec-Feb for mating and delivering babies. They come back at separate times in the summer months to shed and grow new fur coats. When the males come back in July/Aug, they continually practice fighting each other in anticipation of the real battles to happen later in December. The young ones practice fighting each other. The big bulls are something else to battle against and the smaller ones learn to not even try.
First image is in May 2008 and only the girls are on the beach at that time. Second image is 3 months later when the boys have the beach.
Elephant Seals spend most of their time out at sea and travel far. The girls head out for waters north of Hawaii. And the boys head north by the Aleutian Islands where they feed.
Both come back in Dec-Feb for mating and delivering babies. They come back at separate times in the summer months to shed and grow new fur coats. When the males come back in July/Aug, they continually practice fighting each other in anticipation of the real battles to happen later in December. The young ones practice fighting each other. The big bulls are something else to battle against and the smaller ones learn to not even try.
Jun 18, 2019 13:20:48 #
Jun 18, 2019 13:28:29 #
Jun 18, 2019 13:49:55 #
Jun 18, 2019 16:47:11 #
Jun 19, 2019 07:34:04 #
Nice photos. They probably sound better than many of the acts on the show.
Jun 19, 2019 08:37:42 #
Jun 19, 2019 10:00:05 #
Jun 19, 2019 12:40:43 #
Jun 19, 2019 15:09:48 #
Thank you everyone for your comments. The elephant seals can be interesting to see -- when they're not sleeping that is. During the summer months when they come ashore, their new fur coat grows in faster if they sleep. But those males can't help themselves. If there is a chance for a good fight, they go for it!
Amazing size difference between the males and the females. The large bulls can exceed 5000 pounds. The females are perhaps 1000 pounds.
The males are known to move quite quickly on land and can go perhaps 50 feet faster than you would believe they could do so. And then they overheat and have to stop. They look like huge land slugs the way they move. Depending upon the beach, people can walk in vicinity of the elephant seals but are not permitted to go up close. Another fun place to visit is Ano Nuevo north of Santa Cruz CA. December is closed off with the bulls setting up their harems and defending it. By January, there are guided tours designed to watch them but not interfere. When the babies are born, mother nurses them for 28 days and no more. By then, baby may weigh over 300 pounds. After that, they are on their own. Mama leaves as soon as her nursing job is over and baby has to figure out on its own what to do next. By March, the babies are attempting to enter the water, learn to swim and leave. Great White sharks tend to hang out in the deeper waters hoping to nab a baby on its way out.
Amazing size difference between the males and the females. The large bulls can exceed 5000 pounds. The females are perhaps 1000 pounds.
The males are known to move quite quickly on land and can go perhaps 50 feet faster than you would believe they could do so. And then they overheat and have to stop. They look like huge land slugs the way they move. Depending upon the beach, people can walk in vicinity of the elephant seals but are not permitted to go up close. Another fun place to visit is Ano Nuevo north of Santa Cruz CA. December is closed off with the bulls setting up their harems and defending it. By January, there are guided tours designed to watch them but not interfere. When the babies are born, mother nurses them for 28 days and no more. By then, baby may weigh over 300 pounds. After that, they are on their own. Mama leaves as soon as her nursing job is over and baby has to figure out on its own what to do next. By March, the babies are attempting to enter the water, learn to swim and leave. Great White sharks tend to hang out in the deeper waters hoping to nab a baby on its way out.
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