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February 23, 2006

Northern Elephant Seals: Weaners

A Newly Weaned Pup Has Brown Coat Año Nuevo State Reserve

After 28 days of nursing, Elephant Seal cows cut their pups off. These weaned pups are affectionately called weaners. Weaners whine a lot and healthy weaners look like overstuffed sausages.

A Super Weaner Año Nuevo State Reserve

Some weaners don't like being weaned. They steal milk from other nursing cows, and become gigantic weaners called super weaners. Super Weaners do not seem to have any distinct advantage either, though, although their numbers are too small for any real quantitative analysis.

Weaners Have 50% Chance Of Survival Año Nuevo State Reserve

If a weaned hasn't gotten its full four weeks of nursing, it has a lesser chance of survival compared to a fat, healthy weaned pup. Weaned pups do not stay close to the bull harems, but drag themselves off on their own and hang out in tidepools. By the end of mating season, the harems have disintegrated, and weaners are all over the place on the dunes.

A Weaner Pod Año Nuevo State Reserve

The weaners huddle together in groups called pods. They stay together on land for another two to three months, without food or water. Instead, they feed of their fat stores. At the beginning of the breeding season, the rookery is filled with the sounds of big bulls challenging each other, but by late February, the weaners whining has drown out all other noises. The weaners learn to swim in the tidepools and shallows before heading out to feed along the sheltered coastline.

After A Molt, The Weaner Has A Silver Coat Año Nuevo State Reserve

Newly weaned pups still have their scruffy brown coat, but before they head into the ocean, they molt and grow a beautiful silky silver coat. About fifty percent of them will last the year. One of the main challenges is leaving Año Nuevo point shallows, where great white sharks patrol, waiting for their yearly feast. A lucky weaner will return each year to the place it was born, the beachmasters of tomorrow.

A Nice, Fat, Healthy Weaner Año Nuevo State Reserve

Posted by sorsha at February 23, 2006 1:41 PM