Piedras Blancas Friends of the Elephant Seal San Simeon, California

If you close your eyes and listen, you might think you are in the echoing halls of a labyrinthine restroom as the entire population of a broken cruse ship strive to handle food-poisoning. Yet, the sound of moist flatulence is actually coming from a different orifice and species.⠀

Dodgy At Piedras Blancas Friends of the Elephant Seal — Dodgy on the scene.

Gulls perch over the relaxed bodies of elephant seals on the beach.

The male elephant seals of Vista Point in San Simeon will not be ignored. They rule their territory and defend it loudly and violently from younger, challenging males. It may not be graceful, but when one of these giants starts lurching across the beach, females, infants, and intruding males had better scramble out of the way.

A male elephant seal demonstrates his dominance. It is a challenge to any encroaching males.

It isn't hard to get a shot of males fighting this time of year. Thats pretty much all they do. — It isn’t hard to get a shot of males fighting this time of year. Thats pretty much all they do.

Seasons of the Elephant Seal

It starts in November. The males arrive and the competition for dominance begins. By the time we approach the Elephant Seal Vista Point in San Simeon, territory had been staked, females had been won, and young pups are scattered across the beach defended by their mothers. ⠀
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Observing the elephant seals recline on the beach, nudge each other for space, and posture is like watching some marine soap opera unfold along a single stretch of beach.⠀
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We are delighted that we arrived during prime Elephant Seal season. This coming month with see most of the adults leave the beach. The weaned pups will begin to explore the beach on their own before beginning their own journeys in the sea.