Floris van Breugel / Two Bull Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris) face off before fighting in the middle of the extensive Piedras Blancas rookery with over 150 seals just in this photo, mostly pregnant or nu...

Floris van Breugel / A colorful explosion of rocks embedded in three feet of permanent cave ice deep in a lava tube cave (illuminated with a flashlight in the utter darkness.) Lava Beds National Monument, Northern Califor...

Claudio Contreras / Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) weaner / juvenile head portrait, with head turned to look at camera, Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, Febr...

Claudio Contreras / Pair of Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) male holding female during copulation, Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, January

Claudio Contreras / Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) colony on beach, with juvenile / weaner in the surf, Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, January

Claudio Contreras / Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) close-up of weaner / juvenile sleeping, Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, April

Claudio Contreras / Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) weaner sleeping at the bottom of a tide pool, Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, April

Claudio Contreras / Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) head portrait of weaner / pup, on beach at Guadalupe Island Biosphere Reserve, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, April

Piper Mackay / Two bull Northern elephant seals (Mirounga langustirostris) fighting in the waves, Pt Piedras Blancas, California, USA

Todd Pusser / Northern right whale dolphin at surface {Lissodelphis borealis} Monterey Bay, California Pacific

Bob Barbour / Man overlooking stormy surf on rocks, northern California

Tim Fitzharris / Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris) males fighting, Point Piedras Blancas, Big Sur, California