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Keeping Cool
An elephant seal covers itself in sand to cool off. Elephant seals spend most of their lives in the ocean, regularly diving thousands of feet deep to feed. They’re adapted to survive in deep frigid waters as cold as a few degrees above freezing, sporting a thick blubber layer and no sweat glands. When they
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Anticipation
On the eve of #elephantsealmonth, everyone was preparing for the imminent arrival of female Northern Elephant Seals to give birth at Point Reyes. A bull staked a claim to a prime section of beach while a National Park Service ranger cleaned up bits of trash. (I used a telephoto lens here, so everyone looks closer
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Big Snooze
January, as everyone knows, is #elephantsealmonth. This big bull Northern Elephant Seal is kicking things off with a big snooze while waiting for the females to arrive.
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Happy International Day of the Seal
Northern Elephant Seals are a huge conservation success story. They were hunted almost to extinction in the 19th century, as a prized source of lubricant and lamp oil. They were believed extinct until an 1892 Smithsonian expedition found a small colony with eight individuals far off the coast of Mexico. To document this momentous find,
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So Long!
That’s a wrap on Elephant Seal Month! Look at this guy. Doesn’t he look like he’s having the time of his life in the surf?
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Barking Elephant Seal
Ever seen the back of a Northern Elephant Seal’s throat? This is as close as I hope to ever get!
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Yearning
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the laborers to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. — Not actually Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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Party Animal
I usually limit myself to one photo of a given species in a week. But, in honor of Elephant Seal Month, we’re doubling up on Northern Elephant Seal posts! Doesn’t this guy look like he’d be a hoot at a party? Just stay out of range of that proboscis after he’s had a few drinks.
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Sleeping Giant
Ever locked eyes with a 4000 pound beast from the deep? Elephant seals are some of the deepest diving animals in the world, with a lowest recorded dive depth near 7000 ft below the surface. They’re outdone only by a couple of species of whales. January is Elephant Seal Month, so get ready for lots
