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dsafanda

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San Rafael, California, United States

• Apr 30, 2007

• #1

This fearless guy decided to haul out and clamber up the Whaler's Cove boat ramp before making himself at home in the middle of the parking lot road. I should know the answer but what is he/she?

Not a sea lion. Nor does it look like any harbor seal I've seen before.
I couldn't figure out if the red on his head was a wound or a tag.

 

RoyN

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Saturn

• Apr 30, 2007

• #2

That THING went up the Pt. Lobos Ramp? Darn it, I missed that whole excitement!

Did you see it using its hind legs to walk around or it was crawling using its belly? If it is using its hind legs, then thats a sea lion, if not then thats a seal, but doesn't really look like any harbor seal I've ever seen... Otherwise, so sad I missed the whole thing.

 

OP

dsafanda

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San Rafael, California, United States

• Apr 30, 2007

• #3

It moved like a seal.

Could it be a young Elephant Seal perhaps?

 

RoyN

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• Apr 30, 2007

• #4

I'm leaning toward that...but then if thats an elephant seal, that guy is pretty much lost.

 

drbill

The Lorax for the Kelp Forest

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• Apr 30, 2007

• #5

Looks like a juvenile northern elephant seal to me. Every so often we've had the juveniles wander onto our local beach and even under the pilings holding up one of our restaurants. A few decades ago (before the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972) we kept one in our dive locker and fed it until it was strong enough to re-release.