Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
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A friend and I went out to Ano Nuevo to take a tour with a docent out to the bluffs to see the Elephant Bull Seals, females and pups. This big guy moved sinuously over to this female and slung his fin over her body and started making advances. Females who are not in estrus will do all they can to get away from an advancing male; throw sand, and run! For these two, however, the courtship has begun…

The males arrive first in the winter followed by the females who come to give birth to their pups. They nurse the pups for 3 weeks then they abandon them, mate again then return to sea to eat.
The pups mortality rate on land is 10% they are left to fend for themselves without even knowing how to swim! Those that make it out to sea to return have a mortality rate of 50%.

For more information and History see:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=1115

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 300mmf4 @ f7.1| 1/250 sec| ISO 400| Manual Mode| On a Monopod|