Point Reyes' first elephant seal birth of the season celebrated, amid beach closures
On Dec. 22, 2024, the National Park Service celebrated the birth of the first elephant seal pup of the season at Point Reyes. Beach closures are in effect in the area for the breeding and birthing season. (NPS Photo / S. Codde)
POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE, Calif. - It’s elephant seal birthing and mating season at Point Reyes National Seashore in the North Bay, where park officials recently celebrated the birth of its first pup of the season.
On Dec. 22, the National Park Service (NPS) posted a photo of the newborn elephant seal, saying, "Welcome to the world little one!"
Closures are in effect for beach areas near the Point Reyes Headlands through March to help protect a growing colony of elephant seals along the coastal area.
What we know:
The closures affect Drakes Beach southwest of the Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center, the Fish Dock area, as well as the beaches around Chimney Rock, and the south end of South Beach.
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The agency asked visitors to stay out of restricted locations, saying, "Make sure to keep these little ones safe during the important nursing period."
Those who want to observe the elephant seals can view them from the Elephant Seal Overlook near Chimney Rock above Drakes Bay or from the South Beach Overlook near the Point Reyes Lighthouse visitors' parking lot.
Timeline:
The pinnipeds, an aquatic mammal familiar to the California coast, began arriving in the area last month.
The males made the first appearances, trying to "stake out a claim on the beach they hope to dominate," park officials explained.
Pregnant females then followed, ready to give birth.
Sea elephant pups weigh about 70 pounds at birth. They nurse from their mothers for about a month.
By early February, the colony on southwest Drakes Beach can reach numbers of more than 600, according to the park service.
Attracting sharks
The large presence of the mammals can attract sharks swimming in the area looking for food.
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, a couple of North Bay surfers said they came into contact with a great white about 40 yards offshore.
Will Marona told SF Gate that the shark, estimated to be 13 to 15 feet long, came from behind and sideswiped him, hitting his leg and throwing him off his surfboard.
"When I recognized what it was, I knew there was no way I would survive it," Marona was quoted as saying.
He and his friend did survive the encounter. And while very shaken up, they said they were not injured.
A sign warning about the New Year’s Eve shark sighting was put up in the area.
"It’s a known area for great white sharks, and they live there year-round," Point Reyes National Seashore Public Information Officer Earl Perez-Foust told SFGATE.
Perez-Foust said, however, reports of sightings from the public were uncommon and such close brush-ups were very rare.
"So when there’s a close interaction like this one with a person, we take precautions, so people are mindful that they’re sharing environments with other living things," he said.