On our day outing we went to visit Ano Nuevo State Park where the elephant seals assemble each winter. These large animals spend most of their lives at sea, coming ashore only to molt, give birth and mate.
When we visted, most of the adult seals were gone and their weaned pups were on their own. The pups weigh about 75 lbs at birth and in a month or so weigh 250-350 lbs. Now that's a big baby! Within a month or so the pups practice swimming in puddles and close to shore and by the last few weeks in April, they will go to sea one by one and do not appear again on shore until September. They weren't the most beautiful creatures we've come across, but their story as told by the guides was truly fascinating and well worth the visit.
