Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary photos

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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, Mirounga angustirostris, Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
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.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20377  
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, Mirounga angustirostris, Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
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.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20407  
California sea lion, adult male, hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks, Zalophus californianus
California sea lion, adult male, hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks.
Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: Monterey, California
Image ID: 21557  
California sea lion, adult male, hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks, Zalophus californianus
California sea lion, adult male, hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks.
Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: Monterey, California
Image ID: 21558  
California sea lion, adult male, hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks, Zalophus californianus
California sea lion, adult male, hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks.
Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: Monterey, California
Image ID: 21559  
California sea lion, adult male, hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks, Zalophus californianus
California sea lion, adult male, hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks.
Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: Monterey, California
Image ID: 21565  
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, Zalophus californianus
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.
Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: Monterey, California
Image ID: 21582  
Elephant seals crowd a sand beach at the Piedras Blancas rookery near San Simeon. The Piedras Blancas lighthouse is visible in upper left
Elephant seals crowd a sand beach at the Piedras Blancas rookery near San Simeon. The Piedras Blancas lighthouse is visible in upper left.
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20355  
Elephant seals crowd a sand beach at the Piedras Blancas rookery near San Simeon
Elephant seals crowd a sand beach at the Piedras Blancas rookery near San Simeon.
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20358  
Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus, Monterey, California
Gray whale.
Species: Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus
Location: Monterey, California
Image ID: 01178  
Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus, Monterey, California
Gray whale.
Species: Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus
Location: Monterey, California
Image ID: 01188  
Acorn barnacle feeding amidst strawberry anemones, Monterey Peninsula, Corynactis californica, Megabalanus californicus
Acorn barnacle feeding amidst strawberry anemones, Monterey Peninsula.
Species: Acorn barnacle, Corynactis californica, Megabalanus californicus
Location: Monterey, California
Image ID: 07023  
Piedras Blancas lighthouse. Completed in 1875, the 115-foot-tall Piedras Blancas lighthouse is one of the few tall-style lighthouses on the West Coast of the United States. Piedras Blancas, named for a group of three white rocks just offshore, is north of San Simeon, California very close to Hearst Castle
Piedras Blancas lighthouse. Completed in 1875, the 115-foot-tall Piedras Blancas lighthouse is one of the few tall-style lighthouses on the West Coast of the United States. Piedras Blancas, named for a group of three white rocks just offshore, is north of San Simeon, California very close to Hearst Castle.
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20348  
A sea otter resting, holding its paws out of the water to keep them warm and conserve body heat as it floats in cold ocean water, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
A sea otter resting, holding its paws out of the water to keep them warm and conserve body heat as it floats in cold ocean water.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21607  
A sea otter resting, holding its paws out of the water to keep them warm and conserve body heat as it floats in cold ocean water, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
A sea otter resting, holding its paws out of the water to keep them warm and conserve body heat as it floats in cold ocean water.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21614  
Sea otters, resting on the surface by lying on their backs, in a group known as a raft, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Sea otters, resting on the surface by lying on their backs, in a group known as a raft.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21604  
A sea otter, resting on its back, grooms the fur on its head. A sea otter depends on its fur to keep it warm and afloat, and must groom its fur frequently, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
A sea otter, resting on its back, grooms the fur on its head. A sea otter depends on its fur to keep it warm and afloat, and must groom its fur frequently.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21605  
Elephant seals in the surf, showing extreme dimorphism, males (5000 lb) are triple the size of females (1700 lb). Central California, Mirounga angustirostris, Piedras Blancas, San Simeon
Elephant seals in the surf, showing extreme dimorphism, males (5000 lb) are triple the size of females (1700 lb). Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15497  
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, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
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.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21603  
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, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
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.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21608  
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, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
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.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21613  
A sea otter, resting and floating on its back, in Elkhorn Slough, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
A sea otter, resting and floating on its back, in Elkhorn Slough.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21615  
A sea otter resting, holding its paws out of the water to keep them warm and conserve body heat as it floats in cold ocean water, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
A sea otter resting, holding its paws out of the water to keep them warm and conserve body heat as it floats in cold ocean water.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21616  
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, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
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.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21618  
Elephant seal mother and pup vocalize to one another constantly, likely to reassure the pup and confirm the maternal identity on a crowded beach. Central California, Mirounga angustirostris, Piedras Blancas, San Simeon
Elephant seal mother and pup vocalize to one another constantly, likely to reassure the pup and confirm the maternal identity on a crowded beach. Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15421  
A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21609  
A sea otter, resting on its back, grooms the fur on its head. A sea otter depends on its fur to keep it warm and afloat, and must groom its fur frequently, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
A sea otter, resting on its back, grooms the fur on its head. A sea otter depends on its fur to keep it warm and afloat, and must groom its fur frequently.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21610  
A sea otter, looking at the photographer as it forages for food in Elkhorn Slough, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
A sea otter, looking at the photographer as it forages for food in Elkhorn Slough.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21611  
A sea otter, resting and floating on its back, in Elkhorn Slough, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
A sea otter, resting and floating on its back, in Elkhorn Slough.
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21617  
Bull elephant seal, adult male, bellowing. Its huge proboscis is characteristic of male elephant seals. Scarring from combat with other males. Central California, Mirounga angustirostris, Piedras Blancas, San Simeon
Bull elephant seal, adult male, bellowing. Its huge proboscis is characteristic of male elephant seals. Scarring from combat with other males. Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15390  
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All photographs copyright © Phillip Colla / Oceanlight.com, all rights reserved worldwide.