Saturday, May 17, 2014

Elephant Seals

 Male elephant seal hanging out on the beach at Ano Nuevo State Park.
This is how I feel right now, being 8 1/2 months pregnant.

 Lots of baby elephant seals. These 'little' guys are born weighing about 70 lbs. They then go on to gain 7-8 lbs a day for about a month. Then their moms leave the beach (I would too if I were breastfeeding for a month with no source of food). The babies hang out on their own until they can figure out how to swim and fend for themselves in the ocean. The system seems to work because their numbers are on the rise after nearly being wiped out by hunting.

Three generations

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