Wildlife | California | Nature Photography
Even Big Babies Can Be Cuties
July Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Cute Creatures”
Your wave made me so happy.
Massive adult northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are the antithesis of cute. They have long, blubbery bodies.
Elephant seals are named for their great size and the male’s large and awkward proboscis that hangs over its mouth. The animals are impressive but not pretty.
While adult elephant seals are not cute, like many mammals, their babies are living and breathing definitions of the word cute.
Baby elephant seals are born with dark fur that turns gray after weaning. Juveniles and adults alike molt periodically, and their fur eventually fades to tan.
While bull elephant seals fight in the waves nearby, the juvenile shown here looks happy and content, lounging among fellow youngsters. Could it even be waving at me?
While the typical male northern elephant seal weighs 1,500–2,300 kg (3,300–5,100 lb), they can weigh up to 3,700 kg (8,200 lb). That’s as much as two or three cars. Southern elephant seals can grow even bigger.
