Elephant Seals

On Hwy 1 heading north to Monterey we stopped at a beach packed with Elephant Seals.  They spend most of their time at sea but in the fall they come to the beaches to mate.  Females, pups, and young males come ashore first, that's what we were observing on this day.  The huge males, 3 times larger than what we see in these pics, arrive several weeks later.



Just like any other beach, enjoying the sun





Two pups singing a tune.




A coast guard patrol passes by



A young male showing how Elephant Seals got their name



Two young males practicing to be two mature males.