When I heard there was a seal on the beach nearby I assumed it was a Harbor Seal and I didn't get too excited since I have a lot of photos of them. But I discovered it was a juvenile Elephant Seal, probably on the beach for its annual molt. (They are susceptible to the cold when molting and haul out on land.) The first time I went to take photos it was lying motionless under the walkway with no angle to get decent photos. But I went back later and it was in the water, quite active and playful. After taking lots of photos I even took some video. My video skills are crude, but it's fun to see it in motion.
Like Harbor Seals, Elephant Seals were also almost hunted to extinction, this time for the oil from the thick layer of blubber that insulates them. Elephant seals get big. Our northern species is smaller than the southern ones but the larger males still get up to 16 feet long and 5500 lbs. The males are up to 10 times larger than the females. Elephant Seals can hold their breath for up to 100 minutes and dive as deep as 5000 ft (a mile!) Race Rocks near Victoria is their northernmost breeding location. The "elephant" name comes from the big "trunk" on the adult males.
When I first got there it was fairly sedate.
But then it started playing with a piece of kelp and got a little more lively. It reminded me a bit of a dog playing with a stick.
And finally tired out from playing.
See all 11 photos in this batch
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