Bulls visit other beaches

Bulls visit other beaches

Watch your step! That pile of driftwood may be anelephant seal

Elephant seal bulls are washing up at San Simeon Cove, Washburn beach, and Moonstone Beach in Cambria. Unwary visitors may find that what appears to be driftwood is actually a live seal.

They are subdominant bulls who have been chased out of the breeding beaches. They find refuge on quiet stretches of sand, Bachelor Beaches, where they can rest and heal their battle wounds.

Some call them losers, but I reject that. Any seal that lives long enough to be a contender is a success.

This young bull beached himself at the far north end of Hearst San Simeon beach.

Stay back, and keep dogs on leash

Friends of the Elephant Seal docents expand their presence to Hearst Memorial Beach at San Simeon Cove during the winter months, to help out as Winter Guides. The goal is to protect both sides from each other: avoid any threats to beachgoers, and let the seals sleep without harassment by people or dogs.

The seals are already exhausted and demoralized from losing beach battles with other bulls. 

Two bulls rested at the north end of Hearst Beach in the past week. One slept most of the time. The other went back and forth between the surf and the sand. Perhaps he was considering whether he’s ready to take another try on the breeding beach.

Epic battles 

More pregnant females arrive and give birth at the main rookery at Piedras Blancas every day. The beach is crowded, and bulls’ tempers, competing for breeding dominance, are short. Often, several battles are going on simultaneously on the beach.

Docent Mary Forbes was among the group who witnessed an exceptionally vicious battle last week. After a lengthy battle, one bull was so seriously injured that he was unable to lift his head or move onto the beach. 

Weakened and unable to defend himself, another bull came over to beat on him. He was eventually saved by a wave that surged over him, helping him escape into the ocean.

The first winner, such as he was, retreated to nurse his own facial and nose lacerations. 

Docent Michael O’Bannon, after observing the seals for years, speculates that bulls retreat when their proboscis gets injured.

The soft tissue of the elephant trunk-like proboscis is vulnerable. Bulls bump chests and rip and tear at each other with their teeth. They have big canines.

Beachmasters at the top

They fight for dominance, chasing other bulls away. The most dominant bulls, the beachmasters, have breeding rights with the females, usually a harem of about 30 at Piedras Blancas. Researchers estimate that only about one percent of males born ever get to breed. So there’s a lot at stake.

Females nurse their pups for about a month, then come into estrus, like dogs that come into heat. The mothers who gave birth in December are beginning to become receptive to mating.

It’s a tough time for the bulls. Dominant beachmasters have to be vigilant. Less dominant bulls are ready to challenge their position. When a beachmaster is defeated, he loses all status, drops to the bottom of the hierarchy. He may be one of the bulls that retreat to other beaches.

Beachmasters are subject to “sneaker” bulls, who hang around the fringes of the harem. They seem to camouflage themselves among the mothers, who are busy with their pups. They are attuned to the beachmaster, waiting for his attention to be diverted by a direct challenge. As he galumphs across the beach in battle, the sneaker bull moves forward among the females and tries to mate.

Females typically bellow and complain, but the beachmaster may be too deeply involved in the battle to respond. 

Pups carry on

In the midst of this conflict, pups need to nurse to gain weight and grow. They may get separated from their mothers. They may starve if they can’t find each other and reunite. Pups separated from their mothers may find another mother willing to let them nurse. About 80 percent of pups nurse on more than one mother before they are weaned.

Not all pups survive, and mothers sometimes fight over a pup. O’Bannon witnessed two mothers fighting over a pup. Both mothers tried to keep the pup, picking it up with their teeth to keep it away from the other.

No Solomon appeared to mediate their struggle, but the pup survived and was later settled and nursing.

A Seal’s Life

Although conflict and chaos churn across the beach, the seals find enough peace to accomplish their birth and mating season. It’s an exciting time for visitors to view the seals, and enjoy occasional closer encounters on local beaches. 

High tides and surf the weekend of January 10-13 will add more stress. The high-water line will crowd mothers and pups into a smaller area. Waves threaten to wash pups out to sea. Every day brings challenges.

Take lots of pictures, and bring home those stories to tell.