While the unreasonably massive elephant seals are now in Marin County all the way from the Aleutian Islands, they are here for mating season, and you can only watch them from a few dozen yards away.

There are few creatures on earth that can be as simultaneously deadly and whimsically hilarious as elephant seals. The male elephant seals can grow to a weight of 5,000 pounds, roughly the weight of an American-made pickup truck. When the elephant seals mingle with humankind, it can lead to scenes like we see below, in footage that was shot in Chile.

KGO reports that the elephant seals have arrived at Point Reyes National Seashore for breeding season, and they’re staking out their territory on those Marin County beaches. The Bay Area News group adds that Drake’s Beach is now closed to give these blubbery beasts their space, though the KGO segment below shows you can still get to about a dozen yards or so from them. So the trip is surely worth it for marine wildlife enthusiasts.

The News Group notes that about 30 males (called “bulls”)  have arrived at a shore outside Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center, with more arriving daily. They’re generally just laying there sleeping, fasting, and getting ready to defend their turf when their females (“cows”) begin their pupping season.

And there have already been a few pups spotted! Park staff say they’ve seen at least four pups born since December 20. In a normal year, there will eventually be about 1,000 of those pups. And these pups are something to behold, because they’re so ugly that they’re extremely cute. But still, do not expect those beaches to open and let you get too close to the pups.

“Closures are a critical way to protect both elephant seals and the visiting public,”National Park Service ranger Earl Perez-Foust told the Bay Area News Group. “The unpredictable nature of elephant seal behavior, coupled with potential impacts to their health and well-being, means that sometimes the best way to protect wildlife and visitors is to prevent the potential interaction between the two.”

The Park Service has closed parts of Drake’s Beach since December 15, and expect more roving closures through the end of March. They encourage you to check the Point Reyes closures list, and for pete’s sake, keep your dogs on leash.

Once the pups are born, they’ll be guzzling their mother’s milk and putting on about ten pounds a day. Last year, about 950 pups survived and made it out to sea at Point Reyes, and officials say Point Reyes’ all-time pup record was set in 2021, with 1,153 pups surviving.

Per KGO, marine biologists estimate that these very elephant seals are engaged in the "largest marine mammal migration on earth,” which originated all the way in the Aleutian Islands.

There is no livecam for these Point Reyes seals, like we had for the Pier 39 sea lions. But there is an elephant seal livecam for San Simeon's Piedras Blancas Rookery in San Luis Obispo County, which is where the image at the top of this post was taken. Though be aware, at this point in the mating season, most elephant seals will just lay there and sleep.

Related: Where To Watch Elephant Seals Doing Their Annual Mating And Birthing Thing Along The NorCal And Central Coast [SFist]

Image: SAN SIMEON, CA - JANUARY 12: Northern elephant seals lay on the beach at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery January 12, 2018 in San Simeon, California. (Photo by Nick Ut/Getty Images)