Surprised to hear that! The birthing season began in December and peaked in January, as usual. Similarly the breeding season begins in January and peaks in mid- February, as each adult female comes into estrus and mates towards the end of her 4-week nursing period. Most of the females have left now, leaving thousands of weaned pups behind. There are are more big adult males than females present now. The males lose up to 40% of their weight (could be 2000 lbs for the largest males.). They are thinner, but just as aggressive towards each other, especially as there are fewer females now. Hope you’ll come back soon!
Elephant Seals haul out on beaches near San Simeon year round, as they go through different phases in their life cycle. In peak times, there are up to 17,000 animals on the San simeon shores. There are three peak times of the year that have large populations of seals – January, April, and October. Starting in November, adult male elephant seals start to arrive on the shore. Adult males will stake claim to female pupping areas on the beach. When another adult male challenges a pupping location, a fight for dominance ensues. Adult males will fight for mating rights from December through January. Elephant seal bulls can reach 16 feet in length and weigh up to 5,000 pounds. Watching these enormous animals fight for dominance is quite a spectacle. From December through March, female elephant seals arrive on the beach to give birth. Pregnant females begin to arrive in December with the majority of expecting mothers arriving in January. Births will typically occur a few days after arrival.
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