Room at the Rock

Seals sunning on rocks in the bay are a common sight at Point Lobos as are noisy sea lions that hang around rocky outcrops in the Pacific Ocean. Both mammals are pinnipeds, meaning they are fin-footed. The sea lion has visible ear flaps and large flippers while the seal has an ear hole and small flippers up front.

There is this one small outcrop that is typically occupied by three (not two or one) seals, as shown above. A larger nearby outcrop “around the bend” will usually have a half-dozen seals but last week there was only one and it didn’t like being photographed.