By March, most of the adults are gone and the pups, called "weaners" must learn how to swim, find food and survive on their own.

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Males grow fourteen to sixteen feet long and can weigh up to 2 1/2 tons.

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Elephant seals are well named because their large noses resemble an elephant's trunk. Males begin developing this enlarged nose at about three to five years.

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We took a short hike along the beach before the guided tour and stumbled across this sleeping beauty.

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Males engage in small skirmishes and violent battles to establish dominance and for the right to mate with all the females.

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Dominant males will often inflate their noses and produce a noise that sounds like a drum to warn lesser males away.

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Females give birth to a single 75-pound pup 3 to 6 days after they come on shore, then they gather in large harems.
A young pup can be seen in the foreground.

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Año Nuevo is the site of the largest breeding colony of the northern elephant seal.

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