February 18-24, 2018
I’ve been stalking the harbor seals of the Children’s Pool in La Jolla, California, for about a week now. After all, they are my future dive buddies! 😀 I’ve been fortunate to witness a few babies just minutes old and was even able to watch one break free from it’s birth sack! It was incredible! In general, harbor seal pups are born live. However, the one I saw, the mother birthed just a sack. A little torpedo that was there as I arrived at the beach at 6:30am. I thought it was a stillborn. But a mere 10-15 min later there was some wiggle movement. And we witnessed the miracle of life and the first moment of a bond between a mother and a baby!
Some facts about harbor seal births.
Females typically bear a single pup a year. There are some rare documentations of twins though.
Gestation period is about 9 months and they are capable of delayed implatation for a few months to make sure the babies are born in an optimal season.
At the southern California rookery called Children’s Pool, pupping season is from December 15th – May 15th.
Average weight of a pup is 20-25 pounds!
Pups can swim and dive within hours of their birth.
If they are born pre maturely, they can have a whitish coat called “lanugo”. Otherwise they shed that coat before they are born.
I actually struggled to find more information about the birth that I witnessed with the baby residing in the sack instead of a live birth. I’m guessing its a rare occurance, but would love to learn more if anyone knows more information! Please message me!
Here is a series of photos I shot of the birth of this adorable baby seal from its birth sack:
The following clips I put together are the moments immediately after the birth. The bonding moments of a mother and her baby as well as the protective nature of a mother, when the greedy seagulls are after a free meal from the placenta.
Subscribe to get your weekly dose of Vitamin Sea!
Please contact me for prints or for any commercial use. Thanks!
Leave a Reply