Año Nuevo State Park

• Elephant Seal Facts

• Elephant Seal Life Cycle

• Elephant Seal Research

• Plastic and Marine Life

• Año Nuevo Island

Interpretive Guide

California Pinnipeds Pinnipeds include

Seals, Sea Lions (and Fur Seals), and Walruses Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

Anatomy: Elephant Seal versus Sea Lion

Diagrams by Bozena Jantulik

Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

Northern Elephant Seal Fact Sheet Año Nuevo State Park Elephant Seal Facts

Northern Elephant Seal Fact Sheet Año Nuevo State Park Elephant Seal Facts

Male Nose Growth with Age

Weaner

3 year – Juvenile

8 year – Mature Adult

12 year – Alpha Bull

Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

Northern Elephant Seal Growth Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

N. Elephant Seal: Total Population Total Population = 4 x pups born

Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

N. Elephant Seal: Año Nuevo Population Total Population = 4 x pups born Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

Male Survivorship Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

Female Survivorship Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

N. Elephant Seal Colonies and Tag Colors

Photo credit: www.elephantseal.org

Photo credit: www.topp.org

Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

Elephant Seals Hunted to Near Extinction

Hatch's sea elephant harness oil: obtainable wholesale and retail

from the sole manufacturers J. Hatch & Co., Invercargill, N.Z. - 1906

Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office

Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

Elephant Seal Diet Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

Morphology of Pinnipeds Elephant Seal Facts Año Nuevo State Park

Bulls Establish Dominance in December

Photo credit: Peter Spicer, 2012

E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Alpha Bull with His Harem

Photo credit: Nicole Teutschel, UCSC, 2009

E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Birth of a Pup E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Photo credits:

Stealing Beauty

Photography

Scavenger Sea Gulls Eating After-Birth Tissue E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Photo credits:

Stealing Beauty

Photography

Females (Cows) and Nursing Pups

Photo credit: Peter Spicer, 2012

E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Pups Gain 10 Pounds per Day with 55% Milk Fat

Photo credits: www.sanmateocoastnha.com

E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Weaner Life: Healthy Weight and

Swimming / Underwater Breathing Practice

Photo credit: Peter Spicer, 2012

Photo credit: www.sanmateocoastnha.com

E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Mating

Photo credits:

Frank Balthis

E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Male and Female “Catastrophic” Molting

Photo credits: Rodger Alsobrook, www.sanmateocoastnha.com

E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Fatal Shark Bite

Photo credits: Pat Morris, 2010

E-Seal Life Cycle Año Nuevo State Park

Attaching Time-depth-recorder

and Satellite (GPS) Tags

Photo credit: NicoleMarieTeutschel, 2008, UC Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab, CA

Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP), www.topp.org

E-Seal Research Año Nuevo State Park

Diagram credit: www.topp.org

E-Seal Research Año Nuevo State Park

Single Elephant Seal Track

(Penelope, UCSC, 2008)

Photo credit: www.topp.org

Photo credit: www.topp.org (post-molt migration tracks)

E-Seal Research Año Nuevo State Park

4000 – 7500 mile Round-trip Migration

(2x per year)

Heart Rates at Surface and During Dive

Credit: Heart Rates of Northern Elephant Seals Diving at Sea and Resting on the Beach.

R. D. Andrews and others, 1997. Journal of Experimental Biology, 200, 2083-2095.

E-Seal Research Año Nuevo State Park

Seal Caught in Plastic Toilet Seat

Photo credit: Frank Balthis

Plastic and Marine Life Año Nuevo State Park

Neck Injuries Due to Plastic Lines and Nets

Photo credit: Guy Oliver

Plastic and Marine Life Año Nuevo State Park

Photo credit: Peter Spicer

Curious by nature, a Hawaiian monk seal gets caught

in fishing tackle off Kure Atoll, Pacific Ocean

Photo credit: www.plasticoceans.net

Plastic and Marine Life Año Nuevo State Park

Plastic Debris Affects All Marine Life Photo credit: Santa Cruz Sentinel

Photo credit: NOAA

Plastic and Marine Life Año Nuevo State Park

Año Nuevo Island - Ocean Side View - 1953

Photo credit: U.S. Coast Guard Historian’s Office, Washington, D.C.

Año Nuevo Island Año Nuevo State Park

Steel Light Tower and Water Tank - 1957

Photo credit:

California State Parks

The oil lens lantern was originally installed on top of the water tank.

In 1913, a steel tower was built to hold the lantern.

Año Nuevo State Park Año Nuevo Island

Año Nuevo Island Light Station - 1948

Photo credit: Reginald McGovern photograph,

Courtesy, U.S. Lighthouse Society, San Francisco, CA

Año Nuevo State Park Año Nuevo Island

Auklet Habitat Restoration

Photo credit:. www.oikonos.org

Año Nuevo State Park Año Nuevo Island

RHAU = Rhinoceros Auklet

CAAU = Cassin’s Auklet

Nest Modules Installed Underground

Rhinoceros Auklet

Project Team: Frank Balthis, Ziad Bawarshi, Mike Merritt, Katrina Ricca, Peter Spicer, May 2013