Elephant seals are not your small, cuddly marine mammals. They are behemoths. Males, known as bulls, can reach 5,000 pounds, while females, known as cows, routinely clock in at around 1,000 pounds or so.
If you’re a wildlife watcher, now is the time to check elephant seals off your life list. Between December and March, they come en masse to Point Reyes National Seashore in California to give birth and mate again. But they don’t come ashore to simply laze about and soak up the sun when it’s shining. Males are building their harems much like bull elk do, and that can sometimes lead to fights between these ponderous animals.
To learn more about elephant seals, how they spend their days, and where you can see them at Point Reyes, we’re joined today by Sarah Codde, a marine ecologist at the national seashore.
0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
0:48 Otter Point - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
1:12 Friends of Acadia
1:38 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
2:10 Episode 305 - The Elephant Seals of Point Reyes
17:19 Flamingo - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of the Everglades
17:34 Smokies Life
17:57 NPT NewsMatch Drive
19:09 Episode 305 - The Elephant Seals of Point Reyes Continues
43:44 Wonder Lake - Various Artists - The Spirit of Alaska
44:30 Episode Closing
45:03 Orange Tree Productions
45:36 Splitbeard Productions
45:47 National Parks Traveler footer
- By Jess Repanshek - December 15th, 2024 7:00am
