A female southern elephant seal has chosen the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park to give birth to her pup and the both have been sighted relaxing on the beach.
Born on Sunday 27 November 2016, the mother and pup will stay for 3 - 4 weeks until the pup is weaned. An elephant seal's milk has a 70% fat content and the pup will grow up to 100kgs in just a few weeks.
There have been a few elephant seals spotted around Perth and it is quite rare for an elephant seal to give birth this far from their icy home of Antarctica - in fact this is only the third time recorded of an elephant seal pupping in Western Australia. It's possible the mother was foraging for food, as foraging areas can be several thousand kilometres away from their breeding islands.
The Department of Parks and Wildlife have established an exclusion zone with marker buoys for the protection of the animals, as it is vital for the bonding experience not to be disturbed. The way best to view them on is on Rockingham Wild Encounter's Penguin & Seal Lion Glass Bottom Boat Cruise or the Dolphin, Penguin & Sea Lion Adventure Cruise. Read the full media release.
Rockingham Wild Encounters
www.penguinisland.com.au