Juvenile northern elephant seal Big Sur California. This little guy seemed happy to see me and vocalized and spun around, watched me and entertained the heck out me. Of course I fell head over heels for these guys.
Male northern elephant seal in full battle call. Their trumpeting battle calls can be heard from far away.
Heavy hunting reduced northern elephant seal populations to a worldwide low of less than fifty. Protection implemented by the US and Mexico have restored current populations to approximately 175,000. Although most northern elephant seals mate and give birth on offshore islands, 20,000 return annually to the Big Sur area on California’s coast.
In December mating season male’s battle violently for control of beaches and females, and gather harems.
Their battles definitely grab your attention and take place both on land and in the water.
Males weigh up to 5000 pounds and are up to 15 feet long.
The juveniles are adorable and curious little guys.
Mating agression is not the norm. Elephant seals are usually mellow creatures.
Please stay tuned for more photos of these remarkable colonies of fascinating animals that were nearly poached to extinction.
Cheers to you from the Caly’s magnificent ellies~
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Cute little fellow.
Leslie
And cute 5000 # fellow too! 😉
Beautiful photos!
Mil grazi~
These guys make my heart smile and your photos of them are amazing. TY of sharing.
If they make your heart smile, than I am happy!
I enjoy them on animal planet.
Yes, and they are even more incredible 20 feet away!!!
I could imagine.
Seems you caught yourself a photogenic seal 😀 lol
Oh please wait, there are soooooo many more, young pups, older females, groups of adolescents, and huuuuuge mellow males. Just awesome~
I look forward to seeing them 🙂 🙂
<3
Ano Nuevo? Surely not La Jolla Cove. I’ve seen dead bodies there (seal I think).
Ano Nuevo has a colony but it is regulated in terms of visiting since it is nearer to civilization, you need reservations and guides. Big Sur you can pull your car off the road and walk over to a colony. LJ Cove has seals, sea lions, and some great whites.
Note to readers: read up on this before you do this. This are BIG wild animals.
They are gorgeous! The first one is soon cute!
It was so hard to choose the initial photos. Please stay tuned to see the colony, the females, the mellow males, the aldolescents, and all the behavior~
I meant soooo cute!
I knew, thank you!
These are magnificent photos Cindy. Those young pups are so adorable. Makes you want to just walk up and hug one. Great photography. I’m looking very forward to more photos. I’ve really enjoyed the red tail hawks also… several times. Thank you so very much for sharing these pictures… some of us never have the opportunity to see them with our own eyes and it is wonderful of you to provide us with the opportunity to see them through yours.
Have a wonderful night.
Michael
Oh, you are the sort of person that got me into blogging in the first place, and keeps me blogging now. My first post, I thought, no one will be interested. And then one or two people were, and they cared about content.
I blog for the people who care about content, and I care for the bloggers whose content I care about.
Thank you for such an encouraging comment & cheers to you~
Oh, too sweet! 🙂
The 5000 pound male maybe not so much to the female or rival though~ lol!
Cheers right back at you 🙂 Thank you for the beautiful pictures. I love animals and you made me smile. Have a very happy Holiday Season my blogging friend 🙂
And you too my wonderful blogging, animal loving friend~ <3
Could these be any cuter?
Not in my book…….
Seals have been my favorite animal since I was a little kid. I had a seal pup stuffed animal and he was my constant companion. I love these pictures. I have never been this close to any of them, not even at a zoo. Thanks for sharing these gorgeous pictures. 🙂
I am really happy you enjoyed them and know how one bonds with a special stuffed friend. I am posting more pics in a few days so take a peek and see which one looks most like your childhood friend~
Amazing! The “little” ones look pretty big!
Yes, they are born at 60 pounds but that is tiny compared to the 5000 pounders!
it scared me. Great angle.
Sorry for the fright, the babies you will like though!
ha ha they are bigger than I imagined. I saw a baby Penguin learning how to walk and it was so cute.
That I would love to see!
Hello Cindy,
So many wonderful shots! It must have been quite an adventure!
I love the big eyes in the first one 🙂
Best wishes,
Takami
Yes, the first time I saw them was in the water years ago, this massive head and saucer sized eyes popped up in the water looking like some massive alien!
They are so cute!
They really are!
They are so cute and with character and personalities to match. 🙂
Exactly! Endlessly interesting to watch!
Adorable photos!
Mil grazi~
I guess you found them in spades! Wonderful photos!
Indeed, one just followed the sound of the male’s bellowing!
Great selection of pictures Cindy. I can see why you fell in love with them.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
Very glad you enjoyed them my friend!
I can see through the eyes a certain peaceful beauty…that produces a lovely smile within me….awesome pictures Cindy, thanks for always sharing these gems!
Oh I am so happy you can see this Wendell! It is what I see in the eyes of wild creatures~
Superb images…..thank you very much:)
Merci beaucoup!
Very beautiful work, Cindy!
My curiosity compels me to ask what I hope is not an impertinet (sp?) question –
just when are you AT that holler of yours? (-:
Laughing, not at all impertinent. It is quite true that as travel becomes a life style, one is more accoustomed to life on the road than at home!
We used to go to Big Sur on summer vacations years ago, but never saw anything this spectacular. I am astonished how close you got to them. Absolutely wonderful photos!
If you get away from the carefully patroled main beach and just stop at random beaches, or when you hear the males bellow, you can literally walk upon them. One must exercise caution. There are thousands of them, strewn along miles of beaches.
Incredible photography! What a beautiful sight. Thanks for sharing, really made me smile 🙂
Then I am really happy I posted! Cheers to you~
The photographs of the elephant seals are interesting,Cindy.
Very glad you enjoyed it my friend~
Lovely stuff. It’s those big dark eyes, they look at you as if they know you and like you straight away. 🙂
Yes, if people spent more time looking into wild creatures eyes, they would hopefully be less likely to kill them for fun~
Quite so.
These are brilliant photos… National Geographics good….
Awwwww, you are very kind and most appreciated~
Great photos! Here on the east coast I usually only see seals from a distance so it’s hard to get a good picture. These are all great. In fact, you look to be closer to fighting males than I’d care to get!
They definitely have warning gestures to keep you from getting too close. I always respect wild creatures space, especially when they are grumpy and weigh 5000 pounds!
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Cindy Knoke has the cute factor working on her blog this week with these endearing creatures that have struggled to come back from near extinction thanks to man and poaching.
Thank you so much for your kind thoughtfulness my friend and cheers to you~
Outstanding photo, Cindy, wonderful to look at. RH
So glad you enjoyed them! Impressive creatures~
How wonderful to see these bewitching creatures – look forward to more
That is exactly what I was, bewitched, and I am glad you want to see more because these initial pics didn’t do the colonies and the variety justice. Thank you!
I am in love – those big brown eyes have won my heart 🙂 Never made it to Big Sur – that one high bridge stopped me dead in my tracks. Even with Gene driving… Stayed at the Tickle Pink Hotel – beautiful condo with two views of the ocean 🙂
Yes I know the bridge you speak of. Big Sur is probably not good for those who prefer avoiding heights. The cliffs are quite dramatic and vertical~
I’m glad you found what you were looking for on your journey. They’re all great shots but the first one I’m not sure what emotion to land on. It’s funny and poignant and peaceful….
Comical too. He was at first trying to warn me away and then I became convinced he was just entertaining me! So endearing~
Animals are so instinctive — didn’t take the cutey long to figure out you just wanted to share joy.
SOOOOOOO much indescribable happiness to share joy with a wild creature! <3
Awesome shots. I look forward to seeing more 🙂
Oh good because there is much more so see of these magnificent creatures~
Wonderful post. I enjoyed seeing the photographs of the elephant seals.
So happy you did & cheers to you~
Your skill as a photographer who can capture the most fascinating expressions and scenes never ceases to amaze me, Cindy. Thank you for sharing these touching photos and information about these wonderful elephant seals.
Awwww, you are a kindred spirit my friend~
LOVE! Beautiful pictures!!
Mil grazi~
Oh Cindy – they are MAGNIFICENT – both the seals and your photos – absolutely STUNNING! What an incredible sight to witness, so big yet so cute – thank you for sharing 🙂
I can tell you react to them like I did. Just engrossed and fascinated! Thank you~
:))))))
<3
Hi Cuz … You da bomb !!! The pics are fantastic, Cindy. The first two had me smiling, then further down the “male chorus” had me laughing! And that you have even more pics is incredible. Been to La Jolla a few years ago and saw the gang at the cove and I thought that was great but wasn’t able to get close for any good pics. You obviously enjoyed your trip ! 🙂
Thanks much cuz! Heading home today, time to gear up for Xmas~
Really cute, Cindy. Peggy and I love that elephant seal beach. It is always fascinating. –Curt
And each year they spread out further which improves viewing options from the one main beach at Piedras Blancas.
Hard to find animals more photogenic. And I love their antics. We’ve only been to Peidras Blancas a couple of times but there is also an elephant seal beach near San Francisco. –Curt
Yes, ano nuevo, and in Big Sur there are lots of people besides piedras full of seals with no people in case you ever go back……
Cindy they are so adorable! Almost as much as the otters that we use to swim with in and around Monterey Bay!
Those otters are still there and even more of them. They have to be one of the most beautiful sea creatures and we got within a nano-second of exterminating all of them~
Wonderful! They are a treasure!
They are indeed and cheers to you Lea~
Bien sur! 🙂
Fabulous photos as always 🙂
Your kindness is most appreciated! Cheers to you~
They are adorable in these photos, Cindy!
So glad you enjoyed them!
First pic: that little cutie sure knows how to pose. 🙂
He is a natural model!
<3
Visa versa 2 U X 2 my dear friend! <3 <3
The best elephant seal photos I have ever seen, Cindy! I thought I was watch the Nature program on PBS! How did you do it ?! Love the first one to death…
It is because you are so good hearted Amy. It was painful for me to edit these down to 8 photos. That first little guy performed a sequential ballet for me. First belly busting vocal warnings, then spinnings, then head moving. I took photos of all of this of course. When I finally started to walk away because my hubby was getting bored, he vocalized again, so I walked back, and he continued the water ballet. You have heard of love at first sight? This was it for me! <3
Yep, love at first sight for sure! I’d want to jump into the water and hug this little guy. 🙂 Are you going to post the sequential ballet photos? Love this post so much! Thank you, Cindy! <3
I am going to post more on the seals, not sure if the ballet will make it because I want to reflect the diversity without boring people with too many pics. If I don’t post, I am happy to email them to you if you would like. They are sooooo cute!
These are wonderful….they make me smile! Thank you.
Awwwww, then I am very glad I posted them~