Human beings shed hair and skin all the time, but elephant seals go through a catastrophic molt, in which the entire layer of epidermis with the hairs attached is sloughed off in one concentrated time. The reason for this abrupt molt is that while at sea they spend most of their time in cold deep water. As part of the dive process the blood is diverted away from the skin. This helps them conserve energy and avoid losing body heat. By coming up on land to molt the blood can be circulated to the skin so a new layer of epidermis and hair can be grown.
-from http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/elephant-seals.html
One of the best parts of this visit is we were able to walk near the Elephant Seals without being on a guided walk, meaning we could spend as long as we wanted with our favorite pinnipeds. We were also fortunate enough to see all four of California's pinniped species: we saw Elephant Seals, California Sea Lions, Stellar Sea Lions and Harbor Seals as well as several Sea Otters.
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| From Ano Nuevo and others |
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| From Ano Nuevo and others |
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| From Ano Nuevo and others |
