Northern elephant seal reports concentrate at California beaches and islands used for hauling out, breeding, and molting. These crowded shore sites create a very different record pattern from the months animals spend far offshore in the North Pacific.
The monthly series has strong peaks in January and April, matching two highly visible periods on land. Access rules, viewing platforms, and the timing of coastal visits also affect those totals, so reports aren’t a census of the wider population.
A single colony can generate thousands of observations while open ocean produces few. California’s quiet or restricted beaches are also less evenly reported, and a dense coastal cluster doesn’t show how many seals are at sea.
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