jdc562 Offline Upload & Sell: Off
|
Mexican organizations are actively restoring and protecting native plants and animals on islands along the Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico. One of these islands is Isla San Benito Oeste, where the elephant seals were unperturbed by humans as long as the people kept a respectful distance. These were the last few elephant seals still ashore at the end of the birthing and breeding season.
1. Shiny new coat. This elephant seal pup has just shed its birth fur and has replaced it with a sleek new coat. Soon the pup will be off the island, teaching itself how to swim and hunt. After a month of nursing her pup to plumpness, mom went to sea weeks ago, leaving her pup to continue development on the beach, followed by self-education in the water. Flies, mostly kelp flies, plagued all the elephant seals on this beach.
http://cubit.smugmug.com/Nature/Baja-2014/i-bhccWGx/1/XL/DSC01899%202k-XL.jpg
2. Last of the mature males on the beach. Showing the nose that gives this species its common name, this male rests on a thick bed of cast-up seaweed.
http://cubit.smugmug.com/Nature/Baja-2014/i-VwC6tn6/3/XL/DSC01906%202k-XL.jpg
3. Coy pup pose, but probably just trying to keep the flies off its nose.
http://cubit.smugmug.com/Nature/Baja-2014/i-LDdwzS5/1/XL/DSC01949%202k-XL.jpg
4. These two pups keep the flies from their eyes by pressing their foreheads together.
http://cubit.smugmug.com/Nature/Baja-2014/i-5pJ557G/1/XL/DSC02007%20friends%202k-XL.jpg
Edited on Mar 31, 2014 at 10:12 AM · View previous versions
|