An unlovely elephant seal flips warm sand over its body after climbing out of the ocean, Point Piedras Blancas, California.

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An unlovely elephant seal flips warm sand over its body after climbing out of the ocean at Point Piedras Blancas on the central California coast. A colony estimated to number more than 15,000 has climbed back from near extinction and now calls this long, curved beach near San Simeon (CA) home.

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Size: 4752px × 3732px
Location: Point Piedras Blancas near San Simeon on California Highway 1.
Photo credit: © Carol Barrington / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: beaches, blancas, california, coast, colonies, colony, county., elephant, flipping, highway, luis, mammals, obispo, piedras, point, protected, rookeries, rookery, san, sand, seal, seals, simeon, sleeping