Here Come the Elephant Seals!

"Most of the year, northern elephant seals live alone. They swim, dive, and hunt. Come winter, they are on the move. They haul out on land, and soon the beach is covered with seals. They squawk, squeak, bellow, belch, grunt, and gurgle." (from On the Move by Scotti Cohn)

copyright Susan Detwiler

"From December through March a breeding colony of elephant seals can be observed from Elephant Seal Overlook near Chimney Rock, above beautiful Drakes Bay. The males are the first to arrive here, in December, to stake out a claim on the beach. Then pregnant females begin to arrive and soon give birth to a single pup. Subadult and juvenile animals arrive and the colony can number close to one hundred animals.  Point Reyes National Seashore is one of only about a dozen sites where northern elephant seals breed worldwide." (sources at links below)

Read more about elephant seals in California:
http://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/wildlife_viewing_elephantseals.htm
http://www.sfnps.org/elephant_seals
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1115

And ...

Be sure to check out the _elephant seal camera_!