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Bull elephant seal exits the water to retake his position on the beach. He shows considerable scarring on his chest and proboscis from many winters fighting other males for territory and rights to a harem of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 15458
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | A neonate gray whale calf, born just hours before, still exhbiting embryonic folds in the skin along its side. This baby gray whale was born in the cold waters of Big Sur, far to the north of the Mexican lagoons of Baja California where most gray whale births take place.
Image ID: 01135
Species: Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus
Location: Monterey, California, USA | Northern elephant seals, Piedras Blancas.
Image ID: 35136
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight in the surf for access for mating females that are in estrous. Such fighting among elephant seals can take place on the beach or in the water. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides.
Image ID: 20369
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight for territory and harems of females. Bull elephant seals will haul out and fight from December through March, nearly fasting the entire time as they maintain their territory and harem. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 35144
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Bull elephant seal, adult male, bellowing. Its huge proboscis is characteristic of male elephant seals. Scarring from combat with other males.
Image ID: 35149
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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Sea otters mating. The male holds the female's head or nose with his jaws during copulation. Visible scars are often present on females from this behavior. Sea otters have a polygynous mating system. Many males actively defend territories and will mate with females that inhabit their territory or seek out females in estrus if no territory is established. Males and females typically bond for the duration of estrus, or about 3 days.
Image ID: 21606
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA | Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight for territory and harems of females. Bull elephant seals will haul out and fight from December through March, nearly fasting the entire time as they maintain their territory and harem. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 15394
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | A bull elephant seal forceably mates (copulates) with a much smaller female, often biting her into submission and using his weight to keep her from fleeing. Males may up to 5000 lbs, triple the size of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 35133
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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Bull elephant seal, adult male, bellowing. Its huge proboscis is characteristic of male elephant seals. Scarring from combat with other males.
Image ID: 35147
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | California sea lion, with monofiliment cut.
Image ID: 00958
Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: Monterey, California, USA | Gray whale, blow.
Image ID: 01173
Species: Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus
Location: Big Sur, California, USA |
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A bull elephant seal forceably mates (copulates) with a much smaller female, often biting her into submission and using his weight to keep her from fleeing. Males may up to 5000 lbs, triple the size of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 20388
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | A sea otter, resting on its back, holding its paw out of the water for warmth. While the sea otter has extremely dense fur on its body, the fur is less dense on its head, arms and paws so it will hold these out of the cold water to conserve body heat.
Image ID: 21602
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA | Northern elephant seals, Piedras Blancas.
Image ID: 35130
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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Northern elephant seals, Piedras Blancas.
Image ID: 35131
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | A bull elephant seal forceably mates (copulates) with a much smaller female, often biting her into submission and using his weight to keep her from fleeing. Males may up to 5000 lbs, triple the size of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 35132
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Northern elephant seals, Piedras Blancas.
Image ID: 35134
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight for territory and harems of females. Bull elephant seals will haul out and fight from December through March, nearly fasting the entire time as they maintain their territory and harem. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 35135
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Elephant seals crowd a sand beach at the Piedras Blancas rookery near San Simeon.
Image ID: 35140
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight for territory and harems of females. Bull elephant seals will haul out and fight from December through March, nearly fasting the entire time as they maintain their territory and harem. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 35150
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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Bull elephant seal, adult male, bellowing. Its huge proboscis is characteristic of male elephant seals. Scarring from combat with other males.
Image ID: 35152
Species: Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Bull elephant seal, adult male, bellowing. Its huge proboscis is characteristic of male elephant seals. Scarring from combat with other males. Central California.
Image ID: 15387
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | This bull elephant seal, an old adult male, shows extreme scarring on his chest and proboscis from many winters fighting other males for territory and rights to a harem of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 15388
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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A bull elephant seal forceably mates (copulates) with a much smaller female, often biting her into submission and using his weight to keep her from fleeing. Males may up to 5000 lbs, triple the size of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Image ID: 15408
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Male elephant seal rears up on its foreflippers and bellows to intimidate other males and to survey its beach territory. Winter, Central California.
Image ID: 15521
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight in the surf for access for mating females that are in estrous. Such fighting among elephant seals can take place on the beach or in the water. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides.
Image ID: 20370
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight for territory and harems of females. Bull elephant seals will haul out and fight from December through March, nearly fasting the entire time as they maintain their territory and harem. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides.
Image ID: 20371
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | California sea lion, adult male, profile of head showing long whiskers and prominent sagittal crest (cranial crest bone), hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks.
Image ID: 21586
Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: Monterey, California, USA | Northern elephant seal, mother and neonate pup, gulls eating placenta.
Image ID: 00945
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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