Christine Heinrichs
@christineheinrichs.bsky.social
Here’s this morning’s King Tide at Piedras Blancas. Sunny. The juvenile seals are okay with being tossed around in the surf. They have migrated at least once and are comfortable under water. Seal pups who will be born in December and January can’t swim, and may drown.
🦊 🦭#MarineMammal
🦊 🦭#MarineMammal
November 6, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Here’s this morning’s King Tide at Piedras Blancas. Sunny. The juvenile seals are okay with being tossed around in the surf. They have migrated at least once and are comfortable under water. Seal pups who will be born in December and January can’t swim, and may drown.
🦊 🦭#MarineMammal
🦊 🦭#MarineMammal
Beach panorama of extreme low tide at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal viewpoint, north beach.
🦭🦊 #MarineMammal
🦭🦊 #MarineMammal
November 6, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Beach panorama of extreme low tide at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal viewpoint, north beach.
🦭🦊 #MarineMammal
🦭🦊 #MarineMammal
King Tide Thursday and Friday mornings, the highest tides of the year, full moon tonight. The afternoon brings the lowest tides. The north beach at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal viewpoint expands to its widest. The seals are clumped together after the morning’s high water mark.
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
November 6, 2025 at 2:09 AM
King Tide Thursday and Friday mornings, the highest tides of the year, full moon tonight. The afternoon brings the lowest tides. The north beach at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal viewpoint expands to its widest. The seals are clumped together after the morning’s high water mark.
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
This sweet young elephant seal, possibly a female, makes her way through the much larger males around her. Notice the cookie cutter shark wound on her side, and the scars on the larger males around she moves over. Cookie cutter sharks leave that distinctive circular wound.
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
November 1, 2025 at 10:22 PM
This sweet young elephant seal, possibly a female, makes her way through the much larger males around her. Notice the cookie cutter shark wound on her side, and the scars on the larger males around she moves over. Cookie cutter sharks leave that distinctive circular wound.
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
Happy Halloween!
www.tiktok.com/@themarinema...
www.tiktok.com/@themarinema...
Trick-or-treating looks (and smells) a little different for sea lions👻Happy Halloween from all of us, footed, flippered and frightened here at the Center!🎃🦭#marinerescue #sealion #oceanlife #halloween...
TikTok video by The Marine Mammal Center
www.tiktok.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Happy Halloween!
www.tiktok.com/@themarinema...
www.tiktok.com/@themarinema...
From Sammy Roth, former L.A. Times journalist, author of the Boiling Point newsletter.
I'm launching Climate-Colored Goggles, an independent newsletter focused on climate and culture.
We have climate solutions, but politics isn't moving fast enough.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com?r=4viug&utm_...
I'm launching Climate-Colored Goggles, an independent newsletter focused on climate and culture.
We have climate solutions, but politics isn't moving fast enough.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com?r=4viug&utm_...
Climate-Colored Goggles | Sammy Roth | Substack
Finding climate solutions in pop culture, media and sports. Click to read Climate-Colored Goggles, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com
October 16, 2025 at 6:47 PM
From Sammy Roth, former L.A. Times journalist, author of the Boiling Point newsletter.
I'm launching Climate-Colored Goggles, an independent newsletter focused on climate and culture.
We have climate solutions, but politics isn't moving fast enough.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com?r=4viug&utm_...
I'm launching Climate-Colored Goggles, an independent newsletter focused on climate and culture.
We have climate solutions, but politics isn't moving fast enough.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com?r=4viug&utm_...
These young bulls decide on a three-way fight. Whiling away the afternoon at the beach.
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
October 14, 2025 at 7:11 PM
These young bulls decide on a three-way fight. Whiling away the afternoon at the beach.
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
October 5, 2025 at 10:19 AM
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
Thousands of pelicans and gulls joined the seals on the beach.
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
September 27, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Thousands of pelicans and gulls joined the seals on the beach.
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
Here’s what’s going on at Piedras Blancas elephant seal viewpoint: www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/e...
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
Young elephant seals practice fighting at SLO County beach. See their tussling
The immature juveniles are practicing for the big show when more adult elephant seals arrive on the beaches for breeding season.
www.sanluisobispo.com
September 17, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Here’s what’s going on at Piedras Blancas elephant seal viewpoint: www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/e...
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
Northern Elephant Seals could be vulnerable to HPAI, as Southern Elephant Seals are. Scientists are testing a vaccine at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.
🦊🦭#MarineMammals
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/s...
🦊🦭#MarineMammals
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/s...
Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals
www.nytimes.com
September 9, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Northern Elephant Seals could be vulnerable to HPAI, as Southern Elephant Seals are. Scientists are testing a vaccine at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.
🦊🦭#MarineMammals
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/s...
🦊🦭#MarineMammals
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/s...
Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Elephant Seals
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/s...
Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals
www.nytimes.com
September 9, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Elephant Seals
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/s...
Sharks’ public image evolves, over the 50 years since “Jaws.” White sharks are elephant seals major predator. This young seal arrived on the beach with shark teeth scars on his neck. He escaped with his head!🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
link.latimes.com/view/6529c8a...
link.latimes.com/view/6529c8a...
September 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Sharks’ public image evolves, over the 50 years since “Jaws.” White sharks are elephant seals major predator. This young seal arrived on the beach with shark teeth scars on his neck. He escaped with his head!🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
link.latimes.com/view/6529c8a...
link.latimes.com/view/6529c8a...
Important documentation of GHG emissions and regulatory failure. Thanks to Oilfield Witness and ProPublica for these reports. www.propublica.org/article/texa... 🦊🦭#MarineMammal
Trump Says America’s Oil Industry Is Cleaner Than Other Countries’. New Data Shows Massive Emissions From Texas Wells.
The oil industry touts Texas as a success story in controlling climate-warming methane emissions. The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.
www.propublica.org
September 4, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Important documentation of GHG emissions and regulatory failure. Thanks to Oilfield Witness and ProPublica for these reports. www.propublica.org/article/texa... 🦊🦭#MarineMammal
Two young male elephant seals surf into the beach for the fall haulout. Juvenile seals, those not yet in the breeding population, take a few weeks test on the beach between September and November. The last mature bull left the beach at Piedras Blancas yesterday.
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
September 1, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Two young male elephant seals surf into the beach for the fall haulout. Juvenile seals, those not yet in the breeding population, take a few weeks test on the beach between September and November. The last mature bull left the beach at Piedras Blancas yesterday.
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
🦊🦭#MarineMammal
More young male elephant seal video at christineheinrichs.substack.com/p/young-male...
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
Young males enjoying the day
But an elder finds them annoying
christineheinrichs.substack.com
August 31, 2025 at 3:32 PM
More young male elephant seal video at christineheinrichs.substack.com/p/young-male...
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
🦊🦭 #MarineMammal
These two young males, about six years old judging from the development of their noses, tussle until they annoy their mature cousin. The bull moves on to rest in the lagoon. From Arroyo del Corral, north of Piedras Blancas.
August 30, 2025 at 6:38 PM
These two young males, about six years old judging from the development of their noses, tussle until they annoy their mature cousin. The bull moves on to rest in the lagoon. From Arroyo del Corral, north of Piedras Blancas.
Terns among the gulls at Piedras Blancas this morning. We were there for a Marine Mammal Center release of two rehabilitated sea lions who had recovered from leptospirosis. They were happy to get back in the ocean!
August 30, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Terns among the gulls at Piedras Blancas this morning. We were there for a Marine Mammal Center release of two rehabilitated sea lions who had recovered from leptospirosis. They were happy to get back in the ocean!
Lazy days of summer! Beach action high points are raising a front flipper to cool off, stretching back flippers, and tossing sand.
One bull still has his brown skin and fur. All the rest have molted to gray. The gray color will turn brown as the hairs grow out and stand up.
🦊🦭
#MarineMammals
One bull still has his brown skin and fur. All the rest have molted to gray. The gray color will turn brown as the hairs grow out and stand up.
🦊🦭
#MarineMammals
August 17, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Lazy days of summer! Beach action high points are raising a front flipper to cool off, stretching back flippers, and tossing sand.
One bull still has his brown skin and fur. All the rest have molted to gray. The gray color will turn brown as the hairs grow out and stand up.
🦊🦭
#MarineMammals
One bull still has his brown skin and fur. All the rest have molted to gray. The gray color will turn brown as the hairs grow out and stand up.
🦊🦭
#MarineMammals
Tracking devices follow elephant seals, but are also small enough to attach even to small birds and bats. Studies find bats migrating to Mexico and back, then to Las Vegas and back.
www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/e...
🦊🦭
www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/e...
🦊🦭
August 15, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Tracking devices follow elephant seals, but are also small enough to attach even to small birds and bats. Studies find bats migrating to Mexico and back, then to Las Vegas and back.
www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/e...
🦊🦭
www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/e...
🦊🦭
Interesting story of elephant seal behavior. I've observed dominant beachmaster bulls escort females into the ocean, defending them from the onslaught of less dominant bulls attempting to mate with them. 🦊🦭
www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/s...
A Two-Ton Lifeguard That Saved a Young Pup (Published 2024)
www.nytimes.com
August 13, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Interesting story of elephant seal behavior. I've observed dominant beachmaster bulls escort females into the ocean, defending them from the onslaught of less dominant bulls attempting to mate with them. 🦊🦭
www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/s...
This young elephant seal, probably one of last breeding season’s pups, follows a bull up the beach. The others are staying cool at the water’s edge. Raised flippers help them cool off. At the end, a bull out of the picture vocalizes. He stayed in the water, seen and heard. 🦊🦭#MarineMammals
August 9, 2025 at 5:09 AM
This young elephant seal, probably one of last breeding season’s pups, follows a bull up the beach. The others are staying cool at the water’s edge. Raised flippers help them cool off. At the end, a bull out of the picture vocalizes. He stayed in the water, seen and heard. 🦊🦭#MarineMammals
Progress on the cause of sea star death, www.mercurynews.com/2025/08/04/s...
🦊 🦭#MarineMammals
🦊 🦭#MarineMammals
Scientists solve mystery of what’s killing billions of starfish off California and the West Coast
Die-off has affected the health of kelp forests and sparked years of scientific detective work
www.mercurynews.com
August 5, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Progress on the cause of sea star death, www.mercurynews.com/2025/08/04/s...
🦊 🦭#MarineMammals
🦊 🦭#MarineMammals
Northern elephant seals are one of the 36 species of marine mammals that live in or migrate though Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary waters. It's the Serengeti of the Sea.
Recognize whales by their spouts, and their flukes, as they make that dive from the surface. 🦊🦭 #MarineMammals
Recognize whales by their spouts, and their flukes, as they make that dive from the surface. 🦊🦭 #MarineMammals
August 4, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Northern elephant seals are one of the 36 species of marine mammals that live in or migrate though Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary waters. It's the Serengeti of the Sea.
Recognize whales by their spouts, and their flukes, as they make that dive from the surface. 🦊🦭 #MarineMammals
Recognize whales by their spouts, and their flukes, as they make that dive from the surface. 🦊🦭 #MarineMammals