As winter sets in, new life is emerging at the elephant seal rookery in San Simeon. The annual event is drawing visitors eager to get a glimpse of one of California’s most iconic creatures.
The birth of elephant seal pups is a hallmark event on the Central Coast, attracting wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, and curious visitors, who gather each year to witness the multi-sensory spectacle.
Piedras Blancas vista point, a few miles north of San Simeon, is the largest rookery for elephant seals on the pacific coast mainland. Because of that, it’s a magnet for locals and tourists alike, including this visitor.
“Yeah I’ve seen a ton of newborns.. they’re all over the place. Some bigger than others.. but, they’re just all chilling.”
Visible from the vista point off the highway, the seals give onlookers a show every year.
Females, or cows, give birth to their pups after migrating up to 3,000 miles from their feeding grounds in Alaska. They arrive at San Simeon in November and December and give birth to a single pup, and nurse for several weeks.
After that is the molting phase, where pups shed their fur and begin foraging for their own food. After four months, the young seals are ready to live independently in the ocean.
Dr. William Kneeland is chief executive officer at the Friends of the Elephant Seal Center, a nonprofit focused on educating the public about the world’s largest pinnipeds.
“The first pup arrived on December 8th, and since then there have been maybe as many as ten pups born at this elephant seal rookery in San Simeon, and most of them are on the south beach, the beach to the south of the parking lot,” Kneeland said.
The group is working alongside Cal Poly’s elephant seal research team through February to gather census data on Central Coast population.
Kneeland said one unusual development this year is that just a single elephant seal has been born at the rookery’s northern beach. But he stresses overall signs are good.
“The population has remained pretty stable, and it is about 22 to 23 thousand elephant seals that constitute this rookery.”
He said the seals have expanded their territory over the past decade. Once confined to the rookeries, they now occupy beaches up to 8 miles north of Hearst Castle. Kneeland thinks that’s because of overcrowding on the main beaches.
The nuances of the elephant seal, though, may be mostly lost among the onlookers, captivated as they are by the unfolding cycle of life—not to mention the sheer size of these marine mammals.
According to NOAA, male elephant seals can top 4,000 pounds while females are much more petite, at about 1,300 pounds. The pups themselves tip the scales around 70 pounds. All of it quite impressive for onlookers.
“It’s very cool to see the young ones and the mothers, and the size of them.. some of them, wow, they’re just huge.”
As the season unfolds, the San Simeon rookery will continue to provide visitors with a glimpse into the majesty and resilience of these creatures and a front row seat to one of nature’s most incredible displays.
