Seals enjoy the California sunshine: watch the video
A group of seals was spotted sunbathing in Humboldt County, California. The seal was enjoying the sunshine at Calm Beach on a day the National Weather Service warned was a day to practice thermal safety.
Scientists have solved the cases of dozens of decapitated seals found on Northern California beaches since 2016.
Sarah Grimes of the Noyo Center for Marine Science investigated the marine mammal deaths and told The Mercury News she suspects a culprit was responsible but needs proof.
“It was terrible,” Grimes told the Bay Area newspaper. “I was like CSI marine mammal, seeing all the dead babies with their heads cut off, and I thought, ‘What could have caused that?’”
A headless body was found in MacKerricher State Park, where a University of California Santa Cruz student caught the culprit.
CALIFORNIA DETECTIVES IDENTIFY THE REST IN 1971 SOUTH LAKE TAHOE MISSING PERSON CASE
Seals seen at Point Reyes National Seashore in 2015. (National Park Service)
“We set up a camera trap and got a really solid video of a coyote dragging a seal pup and decapitating it,” said PhD student Frankie Gerraty. “We are fairly confident that there is predation at four sites along the northern coast of California.”
Researchers have not shared the video as they continue to try to understand “a seemingly novel predator-prey relationship,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
TEENAGE SPERM WHALE ‘IN POOR HEALTH’ ETHANIZED AFTER LANDING ON NORTH CAROLINA BEACH
An elephant seal stands on the beach near Point Reyes National Seashore in Inverness, California, on May 31, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Coyotes are appearing more frequently in the region after being poisoned and hunted by farmers and ranchers for decades.
“It’s really a balance of nature,” Grimes told the LA Times. “Coyotes are not criminals. This is a part of the ecosystem that has been missing for many years.”
Scientists are still trying to understand why coyotes only attack seals’ heads, leaving their bodies behind, but they believe it may have something to do with the nutritional content of seals’ brains compared to the rest of their bodies.
Point Reyes National Seashore in Inverness, California on May 31, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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An annual closure is currently in effect at Point Reyes National Seashore through March 31, 2024, to protect elephant seal pups from disturbance during the breeding season, according to the national park’s website.
The seal found decapitated by coyotes was a harbor seal, and research will continue into hunting patterns and their impact on marine animal populations.
2023-12-30 18:37:43
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