Pescadero, California — Every winter about 10,000 Elephant seals They make their way to Año Nuevo State Park in California to fight, mate and give birth. The spectacle lasts from mid-December until March, attracting wildlife watchers eager to catch a glimpse of the largest seals on the planet.
During what park guide Laura Stern calls “pup season,” bull seals — some of which reach 16 feet (4.9 meters) in length and weigh up to 2.5 tons — engage in bloody battles for access to the females.
“So most elephant seals return to the same beach where they were born. Not all of them do, but most of them do,” Stern said. “And we have about 10,000 elephant seals that come to Año Nuevo.”
Elephant seals were hunted to near extinction in the 19th century and were hunted for their blubber, which was used to make oil. In 1892, fewer than 100 animals remained on a small island off the coast of Baja California.
Recognizing the crisis, the Mexican government expanded legal protection for this species in 1922, followed soon after by protection in the United States. Today the population has increased to an estimated 250,000 seals living in the Pacific Ocean.
“There’s a genetic bottleneck because they all come from the same 30 to 60 years old,” Stern said. “But so far they’re doing really well, and we haven’t had any problems.”
Año Nuevo State Park, located about 90 minutes south of San Francisco, is one of the largest mainland breeding refuges on the West Coast. during Puppy seasonvisitors come in droves to book guided hikes so they can watch long-nosed bull seals clash on the beach, hear barking and bellowing fill the seaside air and see mothers nursing elegant 75-pound (34 kg) young on the sand dunes.
“It’s amazing,” said Carrie Kahn, a visitor to the park from Berkeley, California. “And you just wonder, how do they get from point A to point B? They seem like they’d be so slow. But they’re fast and they’re big, and they’re honking and making noises.”
Male elephant seals have the highest level of testosterone of any mammal, Stern said. “So they want to mate, fight, eat, and repeat,” she said.
“You’re not in a museum. You’re not in an aquarium. You’re here watching them live doing what they do,” Stern said.
Between April and November, there is no need for tours to visit the seals in Ano Nuevo State Park. During pup season, visitors must reserve a spot on a guided tour to see the seals. Reservations can be made at www.reservecalifornia.com.