Elephant seals lead to beach closure
The Point Reyes National Seashore has temporarily closed the popular Drakes Beach after a large group of territorial male elephant seals came ashore for the breeding season.
“While they’re not out to get us humans, during this season the males’ behavior is very unpredictable at best and they will not deviate if a larger male is defending his territory or his harem,” said Christine Beekman, a park official. “If a small little human happens to be between him and a sub-adult male that threatens his territory, that human will be plowed over.”
Thirteen male northern elephant seals had claimed the beach in front of the Ken Patrick Visitor Center by Thursday, prompting the National Park Service to close the beach for the safety of both seals and visitors. The closure could be lifted or reinstated at any time depending on how many males are on the beach in the mornings.
“The situation with the seals is very dynamic, so for the next couple of months we’re going to make that determination on a daily basis,” Beekman said.
Visitors can still watch the seals from afar from the beach parking lot and the sidewalk near the visitor center. Visitors are being asked not to congregate because of the potential for coronavirus transmission, Beekman said.
Hundreds of elephant seals can show up on Drakes Beach during the winter pupping season. Males typically arrive first in the late fall and early winter to lay claim to territory from which they’ll defend the pregnant females and their pups.
Male elephant seals, known as bulls, can weigh up to 5,000 pounds — about the same weight as a pickup truck. For the pupping season, which lasts from about December to April, the males are fasting from both food and water in order to devote all their energy to defend their harem, Beekman said. As a result, bull elephant seals conserve energy by going into a deep sleep in which they might not take a breath for six to eight minutes, according to the national seashore.
The first elephant seal pup at Drakes Beach this season was born on Dec. 21.
Updates on beach closures can be found at bit.ly/2KnCoGW or by visiting the Point Reyes National Seashore’s Facebook and Twitter pages.