Seal Walk at Wild Ano Nuevo

Fun Activity Info

Take a guided walking tour and watch elephant seals make love (mate), have a family (then abandon them), and shed (called molting). During April 1 - November 30 self guided tours are available, although naturalists are on duty to answer questions. Be sure to dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes. Yearly, seals will arrive in the middle of December, where the bulls (male elephant seals) fight for breeding conquests. Late January is when most elephant seal babies are born. Mother seals will feed for about a month before weaning babies. Towards the end of February, the adult seals have abandoned the pups. In March, the pups after adjusting to their life will depart. Molting is interesting, disgusting, and smelly. Humans shed skin every 27 days. The poor elephant seal sheds their skin all at once, losing a third of their weight. Think about it this way: that would be like you losing 50 pounds once a year. The average female in the United States weighs about 160 pounds.