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8/24/2014

SNOOZING  WITH  ELEPHANT  SEALS

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Just a few miles north of San Simeon, California, islands of black basalt stained white from bird guano rise from the Pacific.  Named Piedras Blancas or White Rocks by Spanish mariners, these rocks have long hosted large colonies of cormorants and other seabirds.  But what most visitors come to Piedras Blancas to see are the thousands of northern elephant seals that rest and breed on the sandy beaches.

As I arrived at a lookout, a woman sneeringly commented on how damnably lazy the seals were.  What she didn't know is that elephant seals have one of the most extreme lifestyles known and bloody well deserve their rest.

Female elephant seals spend much of their lives at sea and come to the colony at Piedras Blancas to give births to their pups and breed.   They may spend much of their time resting here, but when at sea, they dive continuously, both day and night,  and can reach depths of more than a mile.                                                
  - Steven Holt

LINKS:

Continuous Deep Diving in Northern Elephant Seals
2012 UC Santa Cruz Tracking Study

PIEDRAS  BLANCAS ELEPHANT SEAL ROOKERY

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  • HOME
  • DESTINATIONS
    • NorthAmerica >
      • CANADA >
        • Churchill, Manitoba
      • UNITED STATES >
        • ALASKA >
          • Arctic NWR
          • DenaliNP
          • Glacier Bay National Park
          • KenaiNWR
          • Nowitna NWR
        • CALIFORNIA >
          • ArcataMarsh
          • Lassen Volcanic NP
          • MorroBay
          • Piedras Blancas
          • Redwood National Park
        • THE MID-ATLANTIC
        • BlackwaterNWR
        • GREAT PLAINS >
          • Badlands
        • MOUNTAIN WEST >
          • Glacier National Park
          • Grand Teton National Park
          • NationalBisonRange
          • Yellowstone National Park
        • THE NORTHEAST >
          • Nantucket National Wildlife Refuge
        • PACIFIC NORTHWEST >
          • OREGON >
            • CharlestonOR
            • HecetaHead
            • KlamathBasin
            • MalheurNWR
            • Oregon Coast Aquarium
            • Oregon Islands NWR
            • Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
        • SOUTHWESTERN STATES >
          • ArizonaDesertMuseum
          • Bosque del Apache NWR
          • GrandCanyonNP
          • Wupatki National Monument
        • TEXAS >
          • AransasNWR
          • BigBendNP
          • RioGrandeValley
    • Antarctica
    • Africa >
      • Central Kalahari Game Reserve >
        • Etosha National Park
      • KgalagadiTransfrontier
      • Kruger National Park
      • Maasai Mara
      • Mountain Zebra National Park
      • OkavangoDelta
    • Asia >
      • UjungKulonNP
      • CorbettNP
      • GunungLeuserNP
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • South America >
      • Amazon Basin
  • BLOG
  • IMAGES
  • SHOP
    • T-Shirts and Tank Tops
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT