First baby elephant seal of season born at Piedras Blancas. Watch the rookery live here
A birth-and-breeding season at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery that seemed to be getting a late start apparently is now underway, with the birth of the first winter pup happening there in the rain on Thursday, Dec. 16.
Kathleen Curtis, board president of the Friends of the Elephant Seal docent and education nonprofit, wrote in an email soon after the birth that “the mom and pup were immediately accosted by sub-adult males. … Finally the bull came to her rescue, and things look better now. The mom is very close to the water’s edge, which makes everyone nervous.”
Curtis said the new mom and her offspring are on South Beach, “close by our webcam, so lots of people are tuning in to welcome the new pup.” A second newborn pup was spotted later that week.
Baby watchers can watch the seals live at elephantseal.org/live-view/.
According to the website, “the first bull (adult male) elephant seal arrived on the Piedras Blancas North Beach on November 3, 2021, marking the onset of the birthing and breeding season.” However, there were few big males on the shores during November and early December.
More bulls will arrive throughout the season, along with pregnant females who return to the area to give birth. Meanwhile, juvenile seals will head off into the winter sea for one of their two annual migrations.
“Most of the adult female seals are now completing their long migration journeys, returning from their foraging destinations, thousands of miles away at sea in the Pacific,” the website continued. “We last saw them on our beaches in April and May for the spring molt.”
About 5,000 pups are born each winter at Piedras Blancas.
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 3:14 PM.
