The males are the first to arrive on the beach in late fall, to fight over territory. These dramatic encounters often result in bloody throats as the massive animals tear at each other. As the pregnant females begin to arrive, the males establish supremacy in the group of females that cluster on their portion of the beach. He fights off any male who challenges him. We began to find a few lone, young males in the dunes, including the one that blocked our way.
Youngsters steer clear of the old bulls and their harems.
Then we topped a dune, and splayed out before us was a carpet of elephant seals. We could have walked over their backs to the ocean. But, except for males rearing up, there didn't seem to be much action. Scattered among the other tawny-bodied females were the little black pups. The babies nurse for just about a month, growing from about 60 pounds to 300 pounds on their mother's incredibly rich milk, rated at about 55 percent fat.