Mammals
1 Chipmonks
2 Dolphin
Dolphin
3 Gnu
4 gorilla
gorilla
5 hedgehog
6 hyrax
7 jackal
8 longeared bat
9 Zebra
10 rabbits
11 Seal
NATURAL HISTORY
Harbor seals spend their entire lives along the same stretch of coastline. To guard against California's cold water temperatures, seals maintain a thick layer of fat beneath their skin, giving them a thick sausage shape. They spend many hours during low tide hauled out on a favorite sandbar or rocky island soaking in the warm sunshine. The seals tend to hunt for fish, crabs, and shellfish during high tide. Harbor seals are the most vulnerable when out of the water and will quickly swim off if you get too close.
Harbor seals give birth to one pup in the spring. The dark-colored pups can be born on land or in the water, and the nursing period lasts about six weeks. After nursing is complete, the adult seals mate. Pregnancy lasts nine months, but the fertilized egg does not begin to develop for three months, aligning birth dates to the same time each year.
VIEWING TIPS
Use binoculars from an elevated cliff or pier to scan the shoreline at low tide for groups of seals. Once you spot a group of harbor seals, you can expect to see them at the same location on future visits.
If the seals are watching you from their haul-out area, you're too close. Back off quietly and watch from a hidden spot.
Look for group interactions between the seals hauled out on shore. The most dominant seal is usually the one found in the driest (and warmest) spot. Watch what happens as the tide rises.
Do not approach or touch harbor seal pups that seem to be abandoned. Pups are often left alone on the beach while the female hunts. If you or other humans are too close to the pup, the female will not return to the beach.
Look for harbor seals silently watching you from the water just beyond the wave line. Seals will magically appear with just their head poking up from the water for a few moments and slip away before you know it.
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