While we were in Capitola after Christmas, we took a day outing to Año Nuevo State Reserve. A short drive north of Santa Cruz, this reserve is one of the few places that elephant seals make landfall on the mainland...they usually stick to islands just off the coast. The local seal demographics depend on the time of year (mating season, molting season, etc); we arrived during the early portion of mating season. There were about 150 total seals on the beach, most of them males; up to 1700 more breeding females will arrive before the end of the season in March.
If you're not familiar with elephant seals, they are quite different than the harbor seals you might see in bays (San Diego, San Francisco) or at parks such as Sea World. These grow up to 18 feet long and can weigh 5000 pounds, and the males grow a huge proboscis (nose) that they use for showing off to females and bellowing a distinctive roar.
It's a forty-five minute walk from the visitor center to the beach where the seals gather. During breeding season, all visitors must be accompanied by a naturalist docent that decides on the walking route and provides information along the way. As you approach the main beach, there are lots of random seals that have hauled themselves into the dunes near the path. The dunes are rather hilly, so occasionally a seal would bellow from twenty feet away, invisible behind a rise....it's a very odd feeling. I'll post a video at some point, so you can hear their distinctive roar.
If you're not familiar with elephant seals, they are quite different than the harbor seals you might see in bays (San Diego, San Francisco) or at parks such as Sea World. These grow up to 18 feet long and can weigh 5000 pounds, and the males grow a huge proboscis (nose) that they use for showing off to females and bellowing a distinctive roar.
It's a forty-five minute walk from the visitor center to the beach where the seals gather. During breeding season, all visitors must be accompanied by a naturalist docent that decides on the walking route and provides information along the way. As you approach the main beach, there are lots of random seals that have hauled themselves into the dunes near the path. The dunes are rather hilly, so occasionally a seal would bellow from twenty feet away, invisible behind a rise....it's a very odd feeling. I'll post a video at some point, so you can hear their distinctive roar.
Here's a medium-sized male taking a rest. The males won't give up their spot on the beach to go out and get something to eat, so they have to conserve their energy when not mating or defending their harem. As it is, they'll lose up to 1500 pounds by fasting for three months.
When they want to make their presence known, the males will sit up and throw their heads back. This exposes their trunk-like noses and produces a more impressive bellow.
Here's a full-body shot to get a feel for their size. There's nothing in the picture for scale, but when the Chargers and Colts take the field on Sunday, this guy will weigh more than both starting lineups put together.
The beach is sparsely populated for now. At the end of February, you'll barely be able to see the sand in this area. With thousands on the beach and more spread throughout the neighboring dunes, they must make an impressive sight.
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