California. California’s beaches are teeming with marine life, so when locals see dead seals on their beaches, it’s a sad sight, but not necessarily a cause for alarm. But since 2015, beachgoers have reported some disturbing sightings. Especially about the beheaded seal babies at McKercher State Park, about 150 miles north of San Francisco.
Experts were initially concerned that a person was behind the death, and ecologist Frankie Geraghty told the Los Angeles Times that the wounds looked as clean as if they had been bitten by an animal. But Geraghty told the Times that the mystery has been solved and that coastal coyotes may be behind the seal pups’ killings.
The scientist said he captured footage of a coyote beheading a freshly killed baby seal last year. Ecologists knew that coastal coyotes scavenged the carcasses of dead seal pups, but the footage provided new information about coyotes’ behavior.
“It’s obviously endangered, but at the same time … coyotes and harbor seals are native species,” Geraghty told the Los Angeles Times. He added, “This may help restore relations between the two.” Geraghty said it’s still a mystery why coyotes eat the head and discard the rest of the body, but his theory is that seal brains are particularly nutritious, while their fat is difficult to cut.
While this may be a natural part of life, others say the attack can cause seals to change their behavior. Biologist Rachel Reid told NBC Bay Area, “I think the main challenge for the seals is going to be if this becomes a big problem, if they start losing a lot of their babies to predation, they’re going to have to “choose different places. can Give birth to your children.”
,
Tags: California, United States
First published: December 29, 2023, 22:59 IST