PESCADERO -- Atop a dune at Año Nuevo State Park, a woody croak sails over the salty ocean air.

Below, elephant seals pepper the beaches, languidly sweeping sand over their brown and gray bodies to keep cool in the unusual midwinter heat. The moment of peace quickly turns sour as a massive male hoists himself on top of a female and bites her neck, trying to mate with her. No sooner does she voice her objection before an even larger male approaches the couple.


A young pup hangs out with the female harem at Ano Nuevo. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)
A young pup hangs out with the female harem at Ano Nuevo. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel) ( Shmuel Thaler )


Every year, from December to March, adult elephant seals return to their birthplace to give birth to their pups, nurse and mate. In recent days, the females were in the middle of the birthing process. A few small wrinkled pups lay next to their moms as they nurse. Other females still waited to give birth.



When they're born, elephant seal pups weigh about 75 pounds and are covered in a black coat to keep warm, but they will quadruple their bulk after four weeks of nursing.





Brutal bulls




"The males are able to remember each others' vocalizations," Braude said. "They won't challenge other males that they've already lost to."

In the future

Año Nuevo provides a unique habitat for breeding elephant seals.


Other habitats such as Piedras Blancas and Point Reyes are rockier, forcing the seals to give birth much closer to the ocean, where the pups can get washed away.

But the environment is changing. Twenty years ago, most of the park was covered in sandy dunes. But as farmers irrigated the nearby land, they raised the water table high enough for plants' roots to reach. Now the hills are covered in shrubs and grass. So it's possible that Año Nuevo will see fewer seals in the coming years if the vegetation creeps closer to the shore.




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Elephant Seal Guided Walk
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