国产诱惑福利

鈥淪o most elephant seals come back to the same beach where they were born. They don't all, but most of them do,鈥� Stern said. 鈥淎nd we have about 10,000 elephant seals that come to A帽o Nuevo.鈥�

Elephant seals were hunted nearly to extinction in the 1800s, sought out for their blubber, which was used to make oil. In 1892, fewer than 100 of the animals remained on a small island off the coast of Baja California.

Recognizing the crisis, the Mexican government extended legal protection to the species in 1922, followed shortly by protection in the United States. Today the population has grown to an estimated 250,000 seals living in the Pacific.

鈥淭here is a genetic bottleneck because they're all coming from that same 30 to 60. But so far they're doing really well, and we haven't had any problems,鈥� Stern said.

A帽o Nuevo State Park, about 90 minutes south of San Francisco, is one of the largest mainland breeding rookeries on the West Coast. During , visitors come in droves to book docent-led guided walks so they can watch the long-nosed bull seals clash on the shore, hear the barks and bellows filling the seaside air and see the mothers nurse sleek, 75-pound (34-kilogram) pups on the sand dunes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 awe-inspiring," said Carrie Kahn, a visitor to the park from Berkeley, California. "And you just wonder, how do they move from point A to point B? They look like they鈥檇 be so slow. But they鈥檙e quick and big, and they鈥檙e honking and making noises.鈥�

Male elephant seals have the highest level of testosterone of any mammal, Stern said. 鈥淪o they want to mate, fight, eat, press repeat,鈥� she said.

鈥淵ou're not at a museum. You're not in an aquarium. You are right here watching them live doing what they do,鈥� Stern said.

Between April and November, no tours are needed to visit the seals at A帽o Nuevo State Park. During pupping season, visitors must reserve a spot on a docent-guided walk to see the seals. Reservations can be made at .