A few fully mature bulls are on the beach, along with a few pregnant females and a few pups already born. The first pup was born December 10. The second was born December 18, with more following. It’s like popping corn: pop, then pop, then pop pop pop pop pop.
Dominance settles conflict
Elephant seal mothers do an excellent job, under the
circumstances. The few mothers who begin the season, with plenty of space
around them on the beach, are tempting to young, less dominant males. The
attraction is overwhelming, even though the mothers will refuse the males until
they come into heat, after they have nursed their pups for a month.
The full-grown beachmasters aren’t imposing discipline
on those upstarts yet, but watch for signs of dominance. Although the goal of
battling is to establish the dominance hierarchy, once the beachmaster
prevails, he can reduce conflict. Just seeing him makes less dominant bulls bustle
away.
A young bull approached that first mother and pup,
nudging and shoving her around. She got separated from her pup, which can be
serious if they aren’t reunited. A pup separated from its mother can lose out
on that rich milk, and even die.
The beachmaster rumbled up toward that miscreant, who
looked over his shoulder and headed in the other direction. Mother found her
pup and all three settled down to a long winter’s nap.
Pups are born night and day
You may be lucky enough to be watching when one is
born. Watch for females fussing and tossing a lot of sand. They sometimes toss
so much, they build a sort of perch for themselves, with deep ditches dug out
on both sides.
Birth starts with a gush of amniotic fluid, as the
water breaks.
Wildlife viewing requires patience. Pregnant females
will continue to arrive on the beach, into February. Check the live webcam for
beach conditions, www.elephantseal.org.
Pups are all black, about three feet long and weigh
about 70 pounds when they’re born. They soon plump up on their mothers’
nourishing milk. They’ll nurse for a month. In the last few days of nursing, the
mothers mate with one or more males. They wean the pups abruptly when they
return to the ocean.
Watch seals from a distance
Bulls that lose out find their way to other local
beaches, sometimes called bachelor beaches.
Hearst Memorial Beach at San Simeon Cove attracts
them. Human beach visitors may be surprised by a seal among the driftwood.
FES will post guides there for the duration, through
March, to advise visitors as to seals they may encounter.
The seals are not aggressive toward humans, but the
bulls that come to San Simeon may challenge other bulls to fight on the beach.
Human visitors stay safe by giving the seals a wide berth. NOAA Marine LifeViewing Guidelines advise no closer than 50 yards, half a football field. Keep the dog leashed so
as not to annoy them. Don’t get between two seals, who may decide to charge
each other, or a seal and the water, in case he suddenly decides to go back
into the waves.
Informed beach visitors can coexist with the seals.
The Piedras Blancas rookery is an example of seals and humans sharing the
beach. Stay safe and give the seals time to rest.
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