balotelli holly henderson: Male Elephant Seals

In December, male and female adult northern elephant seals haul out their huge bodies to fight, give birth, and mate at raucous rookeries on the Farallon Islands and at the Point Reyes National Seashore. The male elephant seal is a sight to behold, up to 15 feet long, 4,500 pounds, with a huge bulbous nose that inflates with air and makes a thundering noise used to intimidate other males.

Female elephant seals are paltry and delicate in comparison, a third of the size of males at 10 feet and 1,500 pounds, a perpetual smile seeming to play upon their large faces. Bulls vocally threaten each other for access to females, sometimes rearing up their two-ton bodies to slash and bite each other, while the females are preparing to give birth and nurse their pups. On South East Farallon Island, approximately 300 pups will be born this breeding season, quadrupling their body size before being weaned.