Live Beach Cam
South Beach, Piedras Blancas Rookery
North Beach, Piedras Blancas Rookery
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UPDATE: ** The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Viewing Area remains OPEN. Read the final update from the UC Davis Institute for Pandemic Insights about the avian flu outbreak on our NEWS page.
If you are witnessing harassment of an elephant seal anywhere in the rookery or any human activity of concern on the live stream, please call State Park Dispatch: 805-927-2068. As always, thanks for checking on the seals!
WHAT”S NEW??
OH BABY! The Birthing Process- Northern Elephant Seals: NEW VIDEO, on the FES YouTube channel.
Up to 5,000 pups a year are born in the rookery between December and March. Some lucky visitors each winter are able to witness the magic of an elephant seal pup birth at Piedras Blancas. Some regular viewers have even observed an elephant seal birth on our live webcam.
Want to learn more about what you’re seeing right now?
It’s the Spring molt and the adult female and juvenile elephant seals are on the beaches to shed their worn coats and grow skiny new skin.
Learn more: The Spring Molt: A Virtual Field Trip, available NOW on the Friends of the Elephant Seal YouTube Channel.
And to put this season in context, the Friends of the Elephant Seal YouTube Channel offers short multi-lingual videos about The Spring and Summer Molt in 14 languages! We have recently added videos in Ukrainian to the lineup, which includes English, Spanish, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese and Russian.
Planning a visit? Check What’s Happening Now to catch up arrivals and departures from the rookery beaches each month.
About The Seals
About Elephant Seals
Seals on the sand
The northern elephant seal is the second largest seal in the world, after the southern elephant seal. Much more agile in their ocean environment, an elephant seal moves on land with considerable effort, by using its front flippers and belly. Adult males are 14 to 16 feet (4 to 5 m) in length and 4,000 to 5,000 pounds (1,400 to 2,300 kg) in weight. The females are much smaller at about 9 to 12 feet (2.5 to 4 m) in length and weigh 900 to 1,800 pounds (400 to 800 kg). Pups are 3 to 4 feet (1 m) long at birth and weigh about 70 pounds (32 kg).
What's Happening On The Beach?
Month by Month at the rookery
The number of seals at the rookery peaks three times during the year: in late January when most births have occurred, around the first of May at the peak of the juvenile/adult female molt, and in late October during the fall or juvenile haul-out. The annual cycle begins in November with the arrival of mature males at the end of the month.
Why Elephant Seals Are Awesome
Fun Facts
- Elephant seals take their name from the large proboscis of the adult male (bull), which resembles an elephant’s trunk.
- Male elephant seals weigh as much as a small truck or cargo van.
- Elephant seals are shielded from extreme cold more by their blubber than by fur.
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Friends of the Elephant Seal is a 501(c) (3) non- profit corporation, relying on grants, sponsorships, memberships and your donations. Your charitable contribution supports our programs.
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Friends of the Elephant Seal is a cooperating association with California State Parks.