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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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