Elephant Seals

NORTHERN Elephant Seals

(Mirounga angustirostris)

The following photos were shot in San Simeon, California 3/2000.

Why are they called elephant seals?

Photo by M. Spiegler

Look at the long elephantine nose (proboscis) and large body size of this male. Now it is easy to see how these animals earned their common name. Ranging from Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska, they haul ashore to breed, bear their young and molt along the coast and offshore islands of California and Baja California.

Photo by M. Spiegler

Each female (cow) who was impregnated the previous year hauls up on the beach to bear a baby (calf). Calves nurse for about a month. During this time the mother does not leave the beach to feed. Her milk has a fat content of ~ 60%. Babies gain weight quickly. Mothers lose up to 1/3 of their body weight while they nurse.

Mom & her baby (the one immediately to her left) surrounded by orphans on beach. The orphans are also referred to as "weaners". These are babies whose mothers have stopped nursing (weaned) them. Soon after the pups are weaned, their mothers mate with a male, abandon their pups on the beach, and return to the sea.

Photo by M. Spiegler

Weiners settle in groups called pods. They stay together in these groups, dozing on the beach, while the fat in their bodies is transformed into bone and muscle.

After their body form has changed, weaners teach themselves to swim and catch prey. They practice these activities in shallow pools of water. When they are larger and more skilled, they venture offshore and begin their life in the ocean depths.

Photo by M. Spiegler

Mothers stay on the beach nursing, and resting. By the time they have given birth, nursed and weaned their young, the cows lose up to a third of their body weight. They don't feed from the time they give birth until after they mate and return to the sea.

Males (bulls) also waddle up from the ocean onto beaches. Females use what little energy they have left to fend off male attention until the babies are weaned. In the meantime, males position themselves on the beach for mating.

Photo by M. Spiegler

Establishing and maintaining a harem is hard work. Dominant males fight off other males to establish and protect their harems and mating territory. Often, male outsiders will try to "sneak" a copulation with members of another male's harem. Bloody battles among bulls are common.

Once dominance is established, the victor chases his competition far from his territory.

The loser may return to the ocean or he may continue to fight other males in an attempt to acquire a harem or his own.

Photo by M. Spiegler

These battles are often bloody. Losers and winners fight hard. Usually both contenders are injured during the contest.

Most males in the population are battle-scarred like this male.

Victory can be sweet. This mating couple was remarkable. Their mating was gentle, and slow. They lay together quietly for a long time, looking serene. The male neither forced himself on his mate, nor restricted the female's movements. His partner never made a move to escape. This behavior was unique. All other observed matings were violent. Males overpowered females by pounding their bodies against them , biting them hard on the back and neck, repeatedly disallowing their attempts to escape.

Photo by M. Spiegler