City - Hurst Castle area State - CALIFORNIA Country - United States
About
I visited the Elephant Seals again over the Christmas holidays and had a better day for photography and was able to get closer to the animals. When they throw their heads back like this, they make a deep throaty sound that sounds like kick starting a hard to start motorcycle. They will assume this posture for 30 seconds or so and then lay back down on the sand. This posturing and sound is how they demonistrate their dominance as beach master of that portion of the beach. The males start arriving the first part of December and the females begin arriving the middle to late part of December. Within a day or two of a females arrival she will give birth to her pup. The pup will nurse for 6 weeks to two months at which time she will mate with a dominate male. As this matting time arives, the dominate males begin their fighting. The red rough surface on their chest and sometimes even their head is a result combat wounds and scaring.
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{K:72664} 12/30/2006