Elephant Seal Defending Its Territory

A fight like this one is a rare event on an elephant seal beach. Researchers led by Caroline Casey watched 406 hours of male interactions at San Simeon and Año Nuevo and found that only about 5 percent involved any physical contact, and fewer than 2 percent escalated into a sustained fight. More than 97 percent of dominance relationships were already settled and quietly honored, one bull yielding the moment he recognized the other. When two bulls do collide in the surf like this at Piedras Blancas, it usually means they are closely matched and have not yet met that season.