|
Newbie, a northern elephant seal, is pictured here at two different ages:
as a blackcoat pup and as a weaned, independent animal. The Center rescued Newbie four miles south of Ano Nuevo, a northern elephant
seal reserve. When I assessed him, he was probably less than a week old. Newbie had been washed off the beach by a winter storm
and became separated from his mother. While nursing, northern elephant seal mothers loose about two pounds for every
pound the pup gains. The pup is born weighing 60-80 pounds and often more then triples their weight before the mother
abruptly weans the pup after one month and returns to the ocean. At this point, the pup will shed their blackcoat.
Newbie weighed 92 pounds when he was admitted to The Center. After three-and-a-half
months of rehabilitation, he weighed 148 pounds. At first, we tube-feeds the pups a "fish milkshake" made with
heavy cream and herring. When their teeth grow in, they have to learn that solid fish are edible. Volunteers help
with this process by putting weaned pups through "fish-school." Before they are released, all pups must
pass the final exam of fish school, showing that they can find, catch, and swallow live fish while competing with other elephant
seals in the same pool. The green spot on Newbie's head is a wax-based color mark allowing volunteers to identify
him in action during live school testing.
If
you are interested in this artwork; please use the email or phone number at the bottom of the page. Or you can click on "Ordering" in the navigational bar.
|
