Northern Elephant Seals fighting

While monitoring Nothern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris) during their breeding season in the Farallon Islands, these two sub-adult males were spotted fighting by the colony. It was a very short fight since neither of them is the harem master.

The Farallon Islands are a National Wildlife Refuge, closed to the public; the only people on the island are conducting research or maintenance. That means that animals are free to be wild and not worry about humans.

The islands are home to five species of Pinnipeds: Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina), Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris), California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus), Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus), and Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus).

Since 1968, Point Blue Conservation Science has been continuously studying the species on the islands, 365 days a year. You can check out their website for more info: https://www.pointblue.org/

The Northern Elephant Seals were so heavily hunted for their blubber that they were actually declared extinct in 1884, with a population of approximately only 20 to 40 individuals. It was only in the early 20th century that the Mexican and U.S. governments decided to protect them. Nowadays they are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and have made an incredible recovery! Old colonies were slowly re-established, and the populations grew, with a current estimate of 100,000 individuals, making Northern Elephant Seals a conservation success story! The population is expected to continue growing over the following decades, so it is now listed as Least Concern.

Northern Elephant Seals can be found on the eastern Pacific Ocean, all the way from the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, to Baja California, In Mexico. Most of their lives are spent in water, although they do come out to breed, give birth, and molt, which occurs mostly in California and Mexico.