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. Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, USA
Stock Photo: 15394 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA Format: Digital 3:2 Other Names: elefante marino, sea elephant, sea cow Copyright © Phillip Colla, all rights reserved worldwide. Purchase a print of this image Request a review copy of this image Keywords: angustirostris, animal, animalia, attack, bite, california, caniformia, carnivora, carnivore, chordata, creature, elefante marino, elephant seal, endangered, endangered threatened species, fighting elephant seals, injure, male, mammal, mammalia, marine, marine mammal, mirounga, mirounga angustirostris, monterey bay national marine sanctuary, national marine sanctuaries, nature, northern elephant seal, ocean, phocid, phocidae, piedras blancas, pinniped, pinniped behavior, pinnipedia, san simeon, sea cow, sea elephant, seal, territorial dispute, threatened, usa, vertebrata, vertebrate, wildlife |