Once thought extinct, expanding populations are headed north to new sites in Humboldt County, even British Columbia.
Tagged elephant seal pups on a Humboldt County beach on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. Tagging helps researchers estimate a seal colony’s population size and track changes over time. All research was done under NMFS/NOAA research permit NMFS 23188. Once on the brink of extinction, elephant seals are expanding north into new breeding grounds along the California coast, turning long-empty beaches into a ruckus of roars, grunts, chirps and moans.
Scientists attach tiny colored tags on flippers to identify a seal’s birthplace: yellow for Santa Barbara’s Channel Islands, white for San Luis Obispo’s San Simeon, green for San Mateo’s Año Nuevo State Park, pink for Marin’s Point Reyes National Seashore — and blue for members of Humboldt’s young colony, in the King Range National Conservation Area.
They’re all related, descendents of a tiny colony in Mexico — which once numbered fewer than 100 animals — that escaped the violence of 19th century hunters. But there are long-term concerns. The species suffered a genetic “bottleneck” at their remnant Mexican colony, due to inbreeding, with worrisome consequences, according toby scientists at England’s Durham University and UC Santa Cruz. The team’s analysis of 270 modern animals discovered reduced genetic diversity in key genes that are linked to reproductive success and the seals’ ability to dive and forage efficiently.
Green tags identify young elephant seals that were born on Humboldt County's Lost Coast, near Punta Gorda, Calif. Different colors are used to identify seals born on other beaches. All research was done under NMFS/NOAA research permit NMFS 23188. Green tags identify young elephant seals that were born on Humboldt County's Lost Coast, near Punta Gorda, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. Different colors identify seals born on other beaches. All research was done under NMFS/NOAA research permit NMFS 23188.
At Point Reyes, big storms seem to help drive the creation of new colonies, Allen said. The storms of 1982, 1996 and 1998 caused dramatic shifts in the locations of populations at Point Reyes, because pregnant females were washed off beaches.
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