Researchers have been tracking elephant seals, studying their behavior. According to recent work, they're really more at home in the sea, traveling further than previously thought when they are in the water.
Back in the 1800s, the elephant seal population was down to as low as 30. They were declared extinct three times but managed to come back, first finding their way to Año Nuevo Island in 1957. About 10 years later, elephant seals started colonizing mainland beaches. The island's first pup was born in 1976 and since then the massive creatures have trooped to Año Nuevo to breed.
Males start arriving in Año Nuevo early in December. They return earlier than the females to establish societal rules, which will decide who will enjoy best access with the ladies during the breeding season. Growing up to 16 feet long and weighing 5,400 pounds, male elephant seals are all about dominance, willingly dueling with each other for access to a female.
By mid- to late December, the females will begin arriving, many of them heavily pregnant from last year's mating season. When a pup is born, it will stay with the mother for about a month. During that time, a female must also fight off advances from males who don't want to waste an opportunity to mate.
Adult elephant seals don't eat until they return to the water in late winter. When out at sea, the males spend most of their time in feeding grounds in the northern Pacific, along the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, while the females favor northeast Pacific areas.
According to tracking devices, though, some female elephant seals have the tendency to go further.
"We even had two of them crossing the international date line last year, and we're not sure why. At that point, they were closer to Russia than the U.S.," said Patrick Robinson, Año Nuevo UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserve director.
Robinson organizes and directs studies on elephant seals for Dan Costa, a leading elephant seal researcher and biology professor from UC Santa Cruz. As part of ongoing research, scientists weigh elephant seals and take tissue samples in an effort to learn more about their environment, health and diet.
Researchers from the U.S. Office of Naval Research and Japan have also tagged and tracked the animal's movements in the ocean, attaching cameras to elephant seals to gain a better understanding of what sorts of squid and fish they like to eat.
From December to March, tour programs are in place for viewing elephant seals during their breeding season. Aside from Año Nuevo, they also come ashore in Point Reyes, San Simeon and near Hearst Castle to mate.
