Habitat Type: Marine

Comments: Northern elephant seals feed at sea (temperate and subtropical) and use beaches for breeding and molting.

In California, elephants seals occupy beaches of continental islands and the mainland during breeding (winter) and molting (spring, summer) periods; also a peak in abundance on shore occurs in October when resting females, pups of the year, and some juveniles haul out briefly. When at sea, elephant seals spend little time at the surface; commonly they are at depths of several hundred meters. Young are born on beaches of continental islands and mainland (Ano Nuevo, Point Reyes). Young stay ashore 2-3 months after weaning, leave beaches by end of April. Females generally return to natal area to breed, but some emigrate to other sites hundreds of kilometers away.