NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS Mirounga angustirostris ©Laura Quick
Elephant seals are large, oceangoing seals in the genus Mirounga. The two species, the northern elephant seal and the southern elephant seal, were both hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century, but their numbers have since recovered. This is a Northern Elephant Seal at the Piedras Blanca Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon, California. Currently juvenile “weaners” litter the beach looking initially like driftwood washed up on shore, or as if something bad has happened.
Depleted from a pre-birth fast, female elephant seals lose about half their body fat while nursing their offspring. After nearly a month of giving their pup everything, the mamas need to return to the sea to feed. The 300 pound pup, now having to fend for itself, is a called a “weaner.”
Hunted nearly to extinction for their blubber, the species has rebounded and there are currently over 160,000 inhabiting a string of rookeries along the coast of California.
