January 2014
Piedras Blancas Northern Elephant Seal Rookery
Central Coast of California
It's birthing time for the northern elephant seals.
Pregnant mothers make a 2500 mile swim to this beach so that they can give safe birth to their pup.
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| This pregnant female just arrived or "hauled out" | | |
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Each mother gives birth to just one pup. The pup weighs about 60 or 80 pounds at birth.
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| Pups are born with soft, black fur. |
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Mother northern elephant seals provide some of the richest milk around for their pups. The pup must gain about 10 pounds each day for four weeks.
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| Pups gain 10 pounds a day from Mom's milk! |
See how much this pup grew in just a few weeks!
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| This fella hasn't missed a meal in about 3-weeks. |
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The mothers and pups live in a "harem" -- or with 20-40 other females and pups and one big adult male.
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| See the big male on the right side. |
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The adult male is about the size of a small pickup truck. He spends most of his time foraging near the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. But now he'll spend about 90 days with the females and pups.
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| The big male vocalizing | | |
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| Can you tell the difference between the male, female & pup? | . |
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