The two girthy northern elephant seal bulls battled in the frothy shallows along a Central California beach, hacking at each other’s necks. Supremacy, coastal territory, and a fruitful harem were all that was at stake. As they fought on, females with pups scooched away from the fray, giving the bulls all the beach they needed for their colossal standoff.
The larger bull, known as a beachmaster, was 15 feet long and nearly 5,000 pounds and had his flippers full with the younger and smaller but aggressive upstart. As soon as they faced off, other males tried to move in on the beachmaster’s turf. However, it seemed they weren’t as ambitious as the youthful, rotund pinniped charging the beachmaster.
They battled mightily in the surf and on the beach. After 20 minutes of fighting, the beachmaster was finally successful. After chasing the young bull into the cobalt blue waters, there was calm over the rookery, albeit briefly, and finally the beachmaster rested.