Seal the Deal!!

Fur Seal posing. Actually, Fur Seals are not "real" seal (didn't get the "Seal" of Approval :-). They have ears, and they "walk" on all four flippers. They also have nasty bacteria that can cause a simple bite to end up with a lost hand.


"Real" seals sort of undulate across the ground. We'll add videos (soon) showing some of them moving. Charming!


Elephant Seal Bull. (Can you guess where "elephant" comes from?

The bulls can be up to 8000 lbs, and fiercely protect their harems. They might have 200 cows on a beach, and they will jealously defend every inch of it. This warrants their title "Beachmaster". If another bull comes ashore, they charge and fend the trespasser off, regardless of who or what is in the way. Young pups are merely speed bumps on the battle feild. (Nice, huh?)




The Elephant Seal cows snuggle together for warmth. They are a mere 1500-2000 lbs.


Pups are born with full sized eyes.

YAWN!!!!

Time out, I have an itch!

Family time!

Bull, Cow, and Pup suckling.

(Actually, the males take no role whatsoever in the nurturing of the young. Frankly, the pups might not be theirs. They wait until the cows have given birth so they can mate. Next year the cow gives birth, so it may be another beachmasters.)

Pups learning to hold their breath and swim.

They stick their face in the water, eyes in or eyes out, and basically just loll about in the stream.

Their mothers have left for the sea, so it's time to learn to swim if they want to eat again!

Leopard Seal (They eat penguins, can be up to 12 feet long, and have been known to attack Zodiac boats. Go get ‘em Tiger! Er, uh, Leopard!)