The Elephant Seals of Año Nuevo, California
Except for a time in the 1800s when they were practically slaughtered into extinction, northern elephant seals have been congregating on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park in California to fight, mate, give birth and molt. Between December and March, this low spit of land, which is slowly being washed away by the Pacific Ocean, is the site of the largest mainland breeding ground in the world for this species of elephant seal. Elephant seals are so named because…