Elephant seal takes a break
A group of people enjoying the surf in Victoria Bay were in for a rare, but pleasant surprise when they found themselves in the waves with a Southern elephant seal on Monday 22 April.
This species of seal (Mirounga leonina) actually lives in subAntarctic and Antarctic waters. Although they are not resident to our warmer waters, Columbo, as this big baby is affectionately known, has been exploring our seas since the middle of December 2023. Columbo is blind in one eye and accurately named after the American crime drama TV series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, who has one glass eye.
According to Desiree Peens, the Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team (Smart) committee member in the George/Wilderness area, Columbo has been visiting the Garden Route coastline since December 2023 when he started his molt at Pinnacle Point in Mossel Bay. From there he moved to
Dana Bay and disappeared on his Garden Route sightseeing holiday until he was spotted in Ballot's Bay on Sunday and Victoria Bay on Monday.
Southern elephant seals breed on land but spend their winters in the frigid Antarctic waters near the Antarctic pack ice.
They are the largest of all seals. Males can be over 6m long and weigh up to 4 000kg. But these massive pinnipeds aren't called elephant seals because of their size. They take their name from their trunklike inflatable snouts. Columbo is still a juvenile of about four years old and about 3m long. He yet has to develop his signature elephant seal trunk, which shows that he still has a lot of growing to do. In 1913, a record-sized bull measured 6,85m and was estimated to weigh 5 000kg.
Seals of any species are very nice and entertaining to look at from a distance; they even make incredible photos, but Smart warns people not to get too close as seals can be dangerous.