2013 Northern Elephant Seal Season Summary

Transcription

1 2013 Northern Elephant Seal Season Summary March 8, 2013 This has been another great breeding season for northern elephant seals at Point Reyes! Females arrived at the breeding beaches a few weeks later than usual but the overall colony appears to still be growing. There were 1,737 total seals at the peak of the 2013 season compared to 1,679 in 2012 and 1,451 in The maximum number of females counted in 2013 was 824, compared with 797 in 2012 and 687 in Photo: H. Jensen Fewer females pupped at the Drakes Beach colony this season, preferring to utilize other less crowded areas at the Seashore, such as new beaches created by landslides. Photo by S. Codde. NMFS Permit No Photo: H. Jensen

2 2013 Northern Elephant Seal Season Summary During this week s survey, researchers counted 723 weaned pups at the Seashore! Visitors can see over 300 weaned pups from the Drakes Beach overlook. The number of pups that survived to weaning in 2012 was 690, and there were 649 in Researchers have tagged ~300 weaned pups at Point Reyes this season! The survival and movements of the animals that were born here can be tracked by reading flipper tag numbers upon future resightings. While we did not have any superweaners this season, there are a lot of very healthy and plump-looking weaned pups at the colonies right now. Photos by S. Codde. NMFS Permit No

3 2013 Northern Elephant Seal Season Summary This season was mild without any major winter storms that often cause high mortality for young pups that cannot swim in rough swells. However, King Tides early in the breeding season did cause some young pups to get washed out from low-laying beaches. Studying the effects of King Tides may help researchers understand future impacts of sea level rise on coastal ecosystems. The mild weather this season also meant high air temperatures, which agitated the seals and disturbed cow/pup pairs - potential insights into impacts of global climate change. Photo by J. Khudyakov. NMFS Permit No

4 NMFS Permit No

5 No. Females NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS at POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE Female Counts Females 2012 Females /12 12/18 12/28 1/ /10 1/ / /29 1/31 Survey Date 2/ /14 2/21 2/ /5 NMFS Permit No

6 No. Pups NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS at POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE Pup Counts Pups 2012 Pups /12 12/18 12/28 1/3 1/10 1/17 1/24 Survey Date 1/29 1/31 2/7 2/14 2/21 2/25 3/5 NMFS Permit No

7 No. Weaned Pups NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS at POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE Weaned Pup Counts Weaned Pups 2012 Weaned Pups /28 1/3 1/10 1/17 1/24 1/29 1/31 Survey Date 2/7 2/14 2/21 2/25 3/5 NMFS Permit No

8 NMFS Permit No

9 NMFS Permit No

10 No. Pups NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS at POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE Pup Counts at Drakes Beach DB Pups 2012 DB Pups /12 12/18 12/28 1/ /10 1/17 1/24 1/29 1/31 Survey Date 2/7 2/14 2/21 2/ /5 NMFS Permit No

11 No. Weaned Pups NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS at POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE Weaned Pup Counts at Drakes Beach Weaned Pups 2012 Weaned Pups /28 1/3 1/10 1/17 1/24 1/29 1/31 2/7 2/14 2/21 2/25 3/5 Survey Date NMFS Permit No

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