Elephant seals return to Año Nuevo State Park. Visitors watch battling bulls and 75-pound pups

PESCADERO, Calif. (AP) — Every winter about 10,000 elephant seals make their way to California's Año Nuevo State Park to fight, mate and give birth. The spectacle runs from mid-December through March, drawing wildlife watchers eager for a glimpse of the largest seals on the planet.

During what park docent Laura Stern called “pupping season,” bull seals — some reaching up to 16 feet (4.9 meters) in length and weighing up to 2.5 tons — engage in bloody battles for breeding access to the females.

“So most elephant seals come back to the same beach where they were born. They don't all, but most of them do,” Stern said. “And we have about 10,000 elephant seals that come to Año Nuevo.”

Elephant seals were hunted nearly to extinction in the 1800s, sought out for their blubber, which was used to make oil. In 1892, fewer than 100 of the animals remained on a small island off the coast of Baja California.

Recognizing the crisis, the Mexican government extended legal protection to the species in 1922, followed shortly by protection in the United States. Today the population has grown to an estimated 250,000 seals living in the Pacific.

“There is a genetic bottleneck because they're all coming from that same 30 to 60. But so far they're doing really well, and we haven't had any problems,” Stern said.

Año Nuevo State Park, about 90 minutes south of San Francisco, is one of the largest mainland breeding rookeries on the West Coast. During pupping season, visitors come in droves to book docent-led guided walks so they can watch the long-nosed bull seals clash on the shore, hear the barks and bellows filling the seaside air and see the mothers nurse sleek, 75-pound (34-kilogram) pups on the sand dunes.

“It’s awe-inspiring," said Carrie Kahn, a visitor to the park from Berkeley, California. "And you just wonder, how do they move from point A to point B? They look like they’d be so slow. But they’re quick and big, and they’re honking and making noises.”

Male elephant seals have the highest level of testosterone of any mammal, Stern said. “So they want to mate, fight, eat, press repeat,” she said.

“You're not at a museum. You're not in an aquarium. You are right here watching them live doing what they do,” Stern said.

Between April and November, no tours are needed to visit the seals at Año Nuevo State Park. During pupping season, visitors must reserve a spot on a docent-guided walk to see the seals. Reservations can be made at www.reservecalifornia.com.

Laura Stern, right, talks about elephant seals during a tour of Año Nuevo State Park, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Pescadero, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

An elephant seal pup, center, makes its way through female elephant seals on a beach at Año Nuevo State Park, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Pescadero, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

A bull elephant seal rests on a beach at Año Nuevo State Park, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Pescadero, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Elephant seals rest on a beach at Año Nuevo State Park, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Pescadero, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

People watch as elephant seals rest on a beach at Año Nuevo State Park, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Pescadero, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Andrew Vaughn had four hits and four RBIs, including a two-run double that tied the score in the ninth inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers outlasted the Athletics 15-14 in 12 innings Monday night at Las Vegas Ballpark in a wild game that featured 11 homers.

Automatic runner Christian Yelich scored the decisive run from third when Athletics second baseman Jeff McNeil threw wide to home plate on a grounder by Brice Turang in the top of the 12th.

Abner Uribe (4-2) got four outs for the win and Chad Patrick struck out McNeil with runners at the corners for his third save.

José Suarez (0-2) took the loss despite striking out four batters in two hitless innings.

The teams totaled 34 hits, and 14 pitchers combined to throw 444 pitches. It was the fourth game in major league history with at least 29 runs and 11 homers.

Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz each homered twice for the Athletics, who went deep seven times at the site of their Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators. The team normally plays at its temporary home in West Sacramento, California, but is playing six games in Las Vegas this week ahead of a scheduled move into a new stadium in the city in 2028.

Shea Langeliers hit the first pitch from Brewers starter Kyle Harrison 483 feet to left-center field for his 17th home run. It was the longest home run of Langeliers’ career and the fourth-longest in the majors this season.

Both teams scored four times in the 10th.

William Contreras gave Milwaukee a 14-10 lead with a three-run homer off Scott Barlow projected at 463 feet, but the A's answered with an RBI single by Langeliers, a two-run shot by Kurtz and a tying homer from pinch-hitter Jonah Heim.

Zack Gelof also went deep for the Athletics, giving them an 8-4 lead in the third.

In addition to Contreras, the Brewers got home runs from Turang, Vaughn and Jake Bauers. Contreras had three of Milwaukee's 18 hits. Turang and Bauers each knocked in three runs. Jackson Chourio went 3 for 5 and scored three times.

Harrison gave up eight runs, eight hits and three homers in 2 1/3 innings after not allowing more than two runs in any of his first 11 outings. His ERA climbed from 1.57 to 2.72.

Brewers LHP Robert Gasser (0-2, 4.73 ERA) starts Tuesday opposite Athletics RHP J.T. Ginn (3-3, 2.74).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Athletics' Nick Kurtz (16) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Chad Patrick (39) and catcher William Contreras (24) following the Brewers' victory over the Athletics Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

The Milwaukee Brewers face off against the Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Milwaukee Brewers' Brice Turang (2) is greeted by third base coach Matt Erickson, right, as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Abner Uribe (45) reacts after striking out the final batter to end the inning during the eleventh inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)