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Northern Elephant Seal

Northern Elephant Seal line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Northern Elephant Seal full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Northern Elephant Seal was completed on 3.5.2010. A few years back I visited Ano Nuevo State Reserve south of San Francisco to see these impressive creatures. I was not disappointed - they are truly inspiring beasts. In order to see them and be safe you had to take a guided tour. They are massive, formidable and definitely deserve their name. The drawing is based partially on a photo by Ron Wolf. Recently, a German friend of mine unexpectedly came across one of these behemoths on a beach south of San Francisco. She was startled and a tad scared, but came out of the experience with a new appreciation for these pinipeds.

Information about the Northern Elephant Seal:

The Northern Elephant Seal is one of two species of elephant seal (the Southern Elephant seal being the other.) It is a member of the Phocidae family - which are "true seals." They are native to the beaches and sand dunes of the Pacific coast of North America. Elephant Seals are massive, and the males are much larger than the females. Large bull males can weigh in upwards of 5,000 pounds (2,3000 kg) and be 14 feet long (4 meters.) Male elephant seals are fiercely territorial and are famous for their brutal fights with one another during the mating season, when a dominate male is protecting his harem of females from a challenger. Although the battles are long and bloody, they are rarely fatal and generally the loser is allowed to slip away to a less desirable part of the beach.