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[ # ] Seal fight
February 11th, 2007 under Trips

It seems awfully nature-fied around here lately, doesn’t it?

Last weekend Honey and I went back to the central California coast for some honey and honey time with steaks, walks on the beach, and some good seal action. The seals in question hang out along several beaches north of San Simeon. They’re elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) not to be confused to California sea lions (Zalophus califonianus) or harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Anyway, these guys are tube-like seals of a fairly large size. They beach to have pups.

The females don’t eat while they’re nursing and weaning their pups and they’re cross about it. I would be too. They lie there most of the time but then they’ll roll over too near one another and start the seal fuss-off.

Other things are going on, including what Honey called “seal rape.” It is true that animal sex is rarely tender and sweet. In the effort to keep my blog in the PG-13 range (otherwise where will my advertising income go?), I present my video homage to elephant seal girl conflict. Enjoy.

Read the Comments

[ # 946 ] Comment from scout [February 11, 2007, 5:14 pm]

You go, ladies! I don’t like it when uninvited folks get all up in my personal space either.

Elephant seal sex = violent, triggering even. Avoid that aspect of elephant seal viewing whenever you can.

Guy elephant seals are not attractive. Imagine gents about twice as large as the lady seals but with elephantine snouts. And the ugliness of their appearance matches their brutish behavior, with any one alpha male chasing other boys off and claiming up to 50 ladies for himself. Playahs just send me.

[ # 948 ] Comment from treecup [February 14, 2007, 10:39 am]

hey, we were on the central coast too! for the record, the campus of CSUMB is BIZARRE.

[ # 950 ] Comment from the only daughter [February 14, 2007, 11:20 am]

I’m flashing on my daughter’s brief (thankfully) gymnastics obsession. Gym moms were much more territorial than soccer moms or soft-ball moms.

Cool vid.

[ # 951 ] Comment from SassyFemme [February 14, 2007, 4:04 pm]

Great video!

[ # 952 ] Comment from WenWhit [February 15, 2007, 9:35 am]

Must. Remember. To. View. From. Home. Damnit.

[ # 955 ] Comment from Wen [February 16, 2007, 7:49 pm]

Honestly, Sporks, that video distressed me. I don’t want to hear any more about my occasional pics of anatomically impossible poses or haggis. We’re even. Bitch.

;p

[ # 1569 ] Pingback from sporksforall » How to pronounce mirounga angustirostris [February 6, 2008, 10:11 am]

[...] angustirostris (which is the Latin name of elephant seals). It hits my blog because I referenced elephant seals (and their Latin name, as I like a semi-formal blog) in a post last winter and in a separate post [...]

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