The oldest known male lived to 18 years old, and the oldest known female lived to 22. Adult females can grow to 10 feet long and 1900 pounds. Adult males can grow up to 18 feet long and weigh up to 6,000 pounds. Northern elephant seals’ (Mirounga angustirotris) common name is a nod to the male’s elephant-like snout, called a proboscis, and their thick chest shields, which carry the scars of battling other males. And we get to see them at Drakes Beach, among other places between Mexico and Alaska in the North Pacific Ocean. Since then, with careful monitoring and protection, the seals’ population has grown to over 150,000 elephant seals worldwide, a successful example of a species’ re-population. To save the species, the Mexican government banned elephant seal hunting in 1922, followed by the U.S. ![]() Hunting decimated their population, leading experts to believe that fewer than 100 elephant seals existed at the turn of the 20 th Century. Between the mid 1800’s and the early 1900’s, hunters killed elephant seals for their blubber, the thick layer of fat underneath their skin used for oil. Males aggressively compete with each other for dominance, and females spend about a month nursing, defending, and weaning their pups. The Drakes Beach Colony of elephant seals returns each winter to give birth, nurse their pups, and breed. Wildlife docents are typically stationed at Elephant Seal Overlook on winter weekends to answer your questions and help you spot the seals. The occasional cypress leans over the trail, but for the most part, it is just you, the fresh air, and the sandstone cliffs above Drakes Beach. A gravel path runs for a quarter mile along the edge of the cliff strewn with buttercups, checkermallow, Douglas iris, checker lily, and lupine in spring. Starting from the parking lot, head down the driveway towards Drakes Bay and in 300 feet, bear left at a Y-junction toward the Elephant Seal Overlook. ![]() This short hike begins with a visit to Elephant Seal Overlook and then heads out to the edge of the Chimney Rock Peninsula. Check the Seashore’s Winter Shuttle Bus System page for up-to-date information, or just give them a call. The park service cancelled the shuttle in the 2018-2019 winter season, but could re-institute it in the future. ![]() Shuttle buses (fee applies) run between Drakes Beach parking lot, the Chimney Rock Trailhead, and Point Reyes Lighthouse. The park service typically closes Sir Francis Drake Boulevard five miles north of the Chimney Rock trailhead at the South Beach junction on winter weekends to manage traffic congestion, since it is a popular time of year to see elephant seals and gray whales. The small parking lot at the end of Chimney Rock Road holds about 20 vehicles. If you do make a run for the spring wildflowers on the weekend, an early morning start is a good bet: The hike’s popularity can lead rangers to meter traffic on narrow Chimney Rock Road on weekends. ![]() Elephant seals nap, mate, and nurse their young on Drake’s Beach in winter, while springtime reveals painted carpets of wildflowers. The Chimney Rock Trail traces a southeastern line through blustery coastal grasslands and sheer rock cliffs to the edge of the Point Reyes Headlands.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |