The comeback of elephant seals on Guadalupe Island
The comeback of elephant seals on Guadalupe Island
Learn about the elephant seals of Guadalupe Island, off the northwestern coast of Baja California, Mexico.
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Transcript
The island of Guadalupe - 250 kilometers from the Mexican mainland, isolated in the open sea. It takes at least a day to reach it by boat. Its natural residents include elephant and fur seals, which were all but eradicated by 19th century hunters. But protected by the island’s steep rocky coastline, some of the seals managed to survive. Over the last 100 years, they’ve made a comeback. Today, the island is a strictly controlled nature reserve. As bleak as it may seem, for some this is paradise and a treasured hideout.
Only here have the seals managed to elope the merciless persecution by human hunters. Elephant seals are the biggest seals on Earth. They cut a sluggish figure on land, but underwater, they’re quick and agile hunters. Many of the animals here bear the scars of vicious attacks. But they’re far better protected than they might seem. They’re wearing a shield of blubber. This thick layer of fat protects against cold and hunger. But it is also a defense against shark-attacks. Out here, a hunter can suddenly become the hunted. This seal has only recently escaped an attack. It must have been a shark-attack, an elephant seal’s only real enemy. Blood trails show where it came back to shore. But it looks worse than it is. The injuries aren’t life-threatening.
On land, their immense body weight makes them slow and clumsy. But in the water, Northern elephant seals are elegant endurance athletes. Even the great white shark only stands minimal chances of catching an adult elephant seal. And near the coast, the animals are unlikely to suffer an attack. Sharks don’t attempt risky clashes in the shallow water. The chance of an injury is too great.
The only chance for a shark to catch an elephant seal is to focus on old and weak animals – similar to the way lions pick out their prey on the savannahs of Africa. It’s not the sharks that have brought the populations of elephant seals to their knees, it is people. But right here, on the island of Guadalupe, the elephant seal is making a comeback.
Only here have the seals managed to elope the merciless persecution by human hunters. Elephant seals are the biggest seals on Earth. They cut a sluggish figure on land, but underwater, they’re quick and agile hunters. Many of the animals here bear the scars of vicious attacks. But they’re far better protected than they might seem. They’re wearing a shield of blubber. This thick layer of fat protects against cold and hunger. But it is also a defense against shark-attacks. Out here, a hunter can suddenly become the hunted. This seal has only recently escaped an attack. It must have been a shark-attack, an elephant seal’s only real enemy. Blood trails show where it came back to shore. But it looks worse than it is. The injuries aren’t life-threatening.
On land, their immense body weight makes them slow and clumsy. But in the water, Northern elephant seals are elegant endurance athletes. Even the great white shark only stands minimal chances of catching an adult elephant seal. And near the coast, the animals are unlikely to suffer an attack. Sharks don’t attempt risky clashes in the shallow water. The chance of an injury is too great.
The only chance for a shark to catch an elephant seal is to focus on old and weak animals – similar to the way lions pick out their prey on the savannahs of Africa. It’s not the sharks that have brought the populations of elephant seals to their knees, it is people. But right here, on the island of Guadalupe, the elephant seal is making a comeback.