Mother elephant seal and her pup. The pup will nurse for 27 days, when the mother stops lactating and returns to the sea. The pup will stay on the beach 12 more weeks until it becomes hungry and begins to forage for food.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20402
An enormous male elephant seal dwarfs a tiny pup. The bull is not interested in the pup and will typically ignore the pup, but the bull will not hesitate to run the pup over as it moves through the crowd on the beach.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20403
Mother elephant seal and her pup. The pup will nurse for 27 days, when the mother stops lactating and returns to the sea. The pup will stay on the beach 12 more weeks until it becomes hungry and begins to forage for food.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20405
Mother elephant seal and her pup. The pup will nurse for 27 days, when the mother stops lactating and returns to the sea. The pup will stay on the beach 12 more weeks until it becomes hungry and begins to forage for food.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15418
An adult male elephant seal, rushing to attack another male intruding on his territory, tramples a tiny pup. Pups experience a high mortality rate, including injury, separation from mother, being washed into the ocean and abandonment.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15423
Elephant seal pup. The pup will nurse for 27 days, when the mother stops lactating and returns to the sea. The pup will stay on the beach 12 more weeks until it becomes hungry and begins to forage for food.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15476
Elephant seal pup nurses. The pup will nurse for 27 days, when the mother stops lactating and returns to the sea. The pup will stay on the beach 12 more weeks until it becomes hungry and begins to forage for food.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15477
Seagulls feast on the placenta and birth tissues produced by an elephant seal birth just moments before. The pup is unharmed; the interaction is a common one between elephant seals and gulls. Winter, Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15478
Having just given birth moments before, a mother elephant seal barks at seagulls that are feasting on the placenta and birth tissues. The pup is unharmed; the interaction is a common one between elephant seals and gulls. Winter, Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15482
Two pups nurse on an elephant seal mother. In spite of the fact that a female only has enough milk to successfully nurse a single pup to weaning, abandoned pups may try to nurse and the inexperienced mothers may not understand that both pups are doomed. Winter, Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15483
Elephant seal pup nurses. The pup will nurse for 27 days, when the mother stops lactating and returns to the sea. The pup will stay on the beach 12 more weeks until it becomes hungry and begins to forage for food.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15494
An adult male elephant seal, rushing to attack another male intruding on his territory, tramples a tiny pup. Pups experience a high mortality rate, including injury, separation from mother, being washed into the ocean and abandonment.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15496