Hundreds of California sea lions have descended on San Carlos Beach in Monterey, California, prompting local officials to close the beach to the public for safety reasons, CNN reports.
Caution tape has been put up but crowds are still drawn to the animal spectacle, taking photos of the sea lions as they rest and play on the sand and in the water.
While sea lions, or eared seals, are often seen at certain beaches up and down the California coast, local residents say they have never seen so many of the marine mammals gathered in Monterey.
Lisa Uttal, a marine biologist with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, said it was unclear exactly why the sea lions chose San Carlos Beach, but they may be attracted to the rich diversity in the ecosystem’s food supply. Virtually all those gathered on the beach were male, she said.
“They migrate up here down from Ventura and the Channel Islands … They are incredibly mobile. They’re usually chasing the food and because Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is so productive out here, the productivity is really rich,” Uttal said.
They were expected to remain on San Carlos Beach for three to four weeks, Uttal said.
According to Marge Brigadier, a volunteer with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s Bay Net program, sea lions are protected under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which prohibits people from altering their behavior, making it a violation to approach them too closely or to force them to flee.
