Get a rare, up-close look at elephant seals in VR

Roars that sound like Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Males that grow bigger than cars. Elephant seals are not your average cute and cuddly mammal.

In this episode of VRtually There, meet two University of California Santa Cruz graduate student researchers who are studying the northern elephant seal colony at Año Nuevo state park. Public visitors to Año Nuevo are not allowed anywhere near this close to the colony.

One reason elephant seals are unique amongst seals: They’re huge. Males can be three times larger than females and weigh over two tons. Their size helps them store more oxygen and dive deep into the ocean to find food.

The males’ large trunk-like nose, called a proboscis, helps them produce their signature sound and is the namesake for the species.

Northern elephant seals were almost hunted to extinction by the end the 19th century but a small population on Guadalupe island, off the west coast of Mexico, helped the species rebound to the healthy size it is today. Since they spend so much of their lives in the ocean, opportunities to study them are few and far between.

Each year they migrate to the California cost to breed and raise their pups. It’s a lively scene on the shore as males compete to reproduce, moms protect their young, and pups practice their swimming techniques.

Get a rare glimpse into their day in the video above.

For the ideal experience, view in 360 degrees on your mobile phone or in VR headsets such as Google Cardboard or Daydream. Subscribe to VRtually There on YouTube and browse the “Virtual Reality” section of the Paste BN app (iOS | Android) to catch three new episodes every week. 

And whatever you do, don't forget to look around.