Breeding occurs from December to March, and gestation lasts around 11 months. The best place to see elephant seals in the park is at Chimney Rock, which is a 45-minute drive from the Bear Valley Visitor Center (see map). Pregnant elephant seals arrive at the rookery for the purpose of giving birth, and often do so within two days of their arrival. The process takes about four weeks. Inadvertent vessel strikes can injure or kill seals. Never approach or try to save an injured or entangled animal yourself—it can be dangerous to both the animal and you. Though a complete population count of elephant seals is not possible because all age classes are not ashore at the same time, the most recent stock assessment reports with population estimates are available. But they spend most of the time, 8 to 10 months of the year, elsewhere. Populations of northern elephant seals in the U.S. and Mexico were all originally derived from a few hundred individuals surviving in Mexico. New satellite-based technologies make it possible to track animals at sea. If you do the math, there's a numbers problem. Females are significantly smaller than males, but are still grow to about 10 feet long and weigh up to 1,300 pounds. Males do not fight during the molt. How do pups find their way home in a seemingly featureless ocean with no map or compass? The largest colonies of northern elephant seals are found off southern California in the Channel Islands. The northern elephant seal is the second largest seal in the world, after the southern … Elephant seals are well named because adult males have large noses that resemble an elephant's trunk. This allows scientists to better understand the migration patterns and habits of these animals. By comparing data across different years, it is possible to analyze how these animals respond to differences in climate. Not only is it a boon for scientists, it allows citizen scientists to follow along too. Molting takes from 4 to 5 weeks to complete. The northern elephant seal is the second largest seal in the world, after the southern elephant seal. The proboscis overhangs their lower lip by about 8 inches. There is a notable difference in lifespan between males and females. Sensors collect data as an animal swims and dives along its migration path. You can also see the elephant seals at a rookery near Piedras Blancas Light Station in San Simeon. Scientists in our Marine Mammal Laboratory conduct wide-ranging research on the biology, life history, and health of northern elephant seals including: Learn about our northern elephant seal research. NOAA Fisheries is committed to protecting northern elephant seals. Diagram based on information in Le Boeuf and Laws, 1994 [1]; Friends of the Elephant Seal website http://www.elephantseal.org/Rookery/calendar.htm; and scientists who reviewed this website. Foraging map for the northern elephant seal Once out to sea the elephant seals are usually solitary and spend the majority of their time feeding on fish, cephalopods (squid and octopus) and crustaceans (shrimp and crab). Learn more about bycatch and fisheries interactions. Once entangled, seals may drag the gear for long distances, ultimately resulting in fatigue, compromised feeding ability, or severe injury, which may lead to reduced reproductive success and death. Now about 17,000 elephant seals call this beach their home. Image adapted from Le Boeuf et al., 2000, copy provided by Daniel Costa and TOPP at UC Santa Cruz. “This was the first time that a map had ever connected me to the life of an individual animal,” Uberti says. When Annie’s movements were represented on the map, they were more than just a series of red dots. Females come ashore and within a few days give birth to a pup conceived in the previous breeding season. Look no further because you will find whatever you are looking for in here. We highlight just a few aspects of an unusual lifestyle that involves very specific ways of utilizing food and space resources. They are rarely seen out at sea for this reason. That return happens mainly at two major locations at two different California State Parks. By studying the movement patterns of the elephant seals with ocean environmental data, new insights of the physical and biological factors driving the migration of can be attained. Adults return to their feeding areas again between the spring/summer molt and the winter breeding season. The Friends of the Elephant Seal are available to answer questions at the viewing areas from 10am to 4pm daily. Southern elephant seals can travel up to 33,800 km (21,000 miles) per year, the longest known migration for any mammal. Northern elephant seals can become entangled in fishing gear, either swimming off with the gear attached or becoming anchored. Females travel further and for longer on their second migration, after their molt. Adults are dark brown or gray. - a simple question that has been difficult to answer. NOAA Fisheries is working to better understand and characterize the frequency, geographic extent, and magnitude of these interactions. Adult males use their large, inflatable noses during the winter breeding season to resonate sound when vocally threatening each other. Implantation does not occur until after the female has already been out at-sea for a few months. Adult northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are substantially sexually dimorphic in size and in migratory behavior.Both sexes migrate over vast areas of the North Pacific Ocean during biannual migrations between rookeries in California waters and northern foraging grounds, but adult males segregate from adult females during each of these double migrations. The pups are weaned after about a month. 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