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Peak of the Elephant Seal Breeding Season

The last days of January are the peak of the northern elephant seal breeding season on the South Farallon Islands. Most cows have already arrived and given birth on the rookeries, which echo with the sounds of cows calling to their screaming pups and males bellowing to intruders. We can hear the cacophony all the

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Stormy Weather

The Farallon Islands have been pummeled by a series of major storms over the past few days. The massive swells crashing into the island are awe-inspiring and the intermittent heavy rains are filling our cistern with much-needed drinking water to last PRBO biologists the rest of the year. The huge waves – especially at high

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20 Orca seen today!

During this morning’s lighthouse watch, I saw 20 Orca swimming west of the island, headed southeast.5 big males were in the group and perhaps 4 juveniles.Very exciting!

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The Battles Begin

The genus Mirounga comprises the northern and southern elephant seals, the largest pinnipeds in the world. Our large northern elephant seal bulls on Southeast Farallon Island weigh up to 5,000 pounds – some particularly massive ones are even heavier. Northern elephant seals are highly sexually dimorphic, with males weighing 3 to 6 times more than

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