A little to the north of San Simeon and Hearst Castle, near the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, the elephant seals have staked ownership of some beaches and established a rookery where the animals come on shore, birth their pups, mate and raise them until they can survive in the ocean, and then head back out into the waters until the cycle repeats.

I’ve been able to go and visit that location a number of times, and these animals are both incredibly ugly and fascinating in behavior and fun to watch and study during their time on the beaches.