What do elephant seals and Olympic athletes have in common? A new exhibit showcases the strength and stamina of these creatures as they travel long distances to and from the Central Coast.
“This is amazing. You could probably spend a couple, three hours here,” said Skip Sorich, Morro Bay resident.
A new exhibit at the Friends of the Elephant Seal Visitor Center in San Simeon highlights three elephant seals who migrated over 3,200 miles from the California coast two-thirds of the way to Japan and back.
“We established it at that point as a preview to the Olympics knowing that we have some world-class elephant seal athletes,” said Kathleen Curtis, Friends of the Elephant Seal liaison for community science.
The elephant seals also have some world-class names.
“Diana Nyad, Gertrude Ederle, and Katie Ledecky,” Curtis said.
“When you think about what they do and consider the athleticism of what they can do, why not name them after great athletes,” Sorich said.
Curtis says female elephant seals are only on the beaches twice a year. Their longest time at sea is around 7 months before returning home to the Central Coast.
“The purpose of the migration is that they are foraging so they are trying to get as much food as they can,” Curtis said.
“I learned that some of them dive down past a mile and they could stay down for 20-some minutes,” Sorich said.
As part of the exhibit, you can track your own elephant seal in real-time through the purchase of a tracking bracelet with a portion of the proceeds going toward elephant seal conservation research.
“Amelia left Santa Cruz in April and she is now above the coast of British Columbia,” Curtis said.
If you would like to view this new exhibit, the Friends of the Elephant Seal Visitor Center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or you can visit their website here.
