Northern Elephant Seals

Northern elephant seal pups are born December through February. Pups are nursed for 4-6 weeks and during this time they double to triple their birthweight. After they are weaned from their mother, the pups go through a fasting catastrophic molt and lose the majority of the weight they gained while nursing on their mother’s rich milk. Elephant seal pups “weaners” can often be seen on local beaches resting and conserving energy during their molt.