Are the elephant seals at San Simeon right now?
Elephant Seals are seen year-round at the Piedras Blancas Rookery. Best times of year to see these amazing animals in action are October through May with the big show (birthing and breeding) in January and February. Come see these magnificent marine mammals up close on one of the prettiest coastlines in California.
Where are the elephant seals in San Simeon?
Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery
Getting There The Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery includes 6 miles of beach, located about 90 miles south of Monterey and 5 miles north of Hearst Castle in San Simeon. The best viewing area is 1.5 miles south of Point Piedras Blancas, and it’s open and free to the public every day.
How many elephant seals are in San Simeon?
17,000 elephant seals
San Simeon Elephant Seals After that, the population continued to grow every year. Now about 17,000 elephant seals call this beach their home. While seals can usually be seen at the beach all year long, the best times to visit are during late January, April and October.
Where can I see elephant seals?
The best viewing areas are located 90 miles south of Monterey, 5 miles north of Hearst Castle State Historical Monument in San Simeon. They are 1.5 miles south of Point Piedras Blancas. The viewing areas are open every day of the year, are wheelchair accessible and free.
Do elephant seals eat penguins?
The other two species – Antarctic and sub-Antarctic fur seals, and southern elephant seals – are both found north of the pack-ice zone and breed in dense colonies on beaches. Seals are carnivorous and, depending on species, eat fish, squid or krill. The leopard seal will also eat penguins and other seals.
How long do elephant seals live?
Females generally live for about 19 years, while males only live for about 13 years. Females come ashore and within a few days give birth to a pup conceived in the previous breeding season.
What is bigger an elephant seal or a walrus?
Among the most amazing of pinnipeds are the elephant seals. These seals are famous for being big. They are the biggest of pinnipeds – bigger even than walruses – there being a record of a giant male Southern elephant seal that was between 6.5 and 6.8 m long and weighed over 4000 kg (Carwardine 1995).
Are elephant seals aggressive?
Males battle each other for mating dominance. Some encounters end with roaring and aggressive posturing, but many others turn into violent and bloody battles. Sea elephants, as these seals are sometimes called, give birth in late winter to a single pup and nurse it for approximately a month.
What is the biggest elephant seal ever recorded?
Southern elephant seal
These seals are famous for being big. They are the biggest of pinnipeds – bigger even than walruses – there being a record of a giant male Southern elephant seal that was between 6.5 and 6.8 m long and weighed over 4000 kg (Carwardine 1995).
Do elephant seals have predators?
Large southern elephant seals have few predators, but killer whales, leopard seals, and some large sharks are known to feed on this species. Historically, southern elephant seals were hunted to very low numbers because of the value and volume of their blubber, which was rendered into oil.
Where to see the elephant seals in San Simeon?
The Piedras Blancas Rookery is the only elephant seal rookery in the world that is easily accessible, free, and open to the public every day of the year. No reservations are needed. The rookery is located seven miles north of San Simeon on Highway 1. Parking. The Elephant Seal viewing area has plenty of parking.
Where is the elephant seal rookery in California?
The Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery includes 6 miles of beach, located about 90 miles south of Monterey and 5 miles north of Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
Are there ground squirrels in the elephant seal rookery?
Ground squirrels are wild animals, carriers of fleas and other vectors of disease, and occasionally they do bite. Drones are not permitted. The Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery spreads out over 8 miles of beach from Point Piedras Blancas on the central coast of California.
When do elephant seals come to the Rookery?
The number of seals at the rookery peaks three times during the year: in late January when most births have occurred, around the first of May at the peak of the juvenile/adult female molt, and in late October during the fall or juvenile haul-out. The annual cycle begins in November with the arrival of mature males at the end of the month.