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JC’s soup

With the 2014 breeding season closed, we can do the review.

As it has been told at these same blog pages, a new record of births has been achieved at the colony. 69 in total. To say more, this year the survival rate before the two month of age, it is being acceptably high. Even though we still have 18 pups to close, meaning, we still have to wait until know if they will get to those two months of age. Considering this, to date 68% of the pups being born have surpass their first critical stage. And we hope it will be kept this way, or even better, it is surpassed.

Sea conditions, strength and intensity of swell related to the atmospheric conditions at north Atlantic, affect the survival of the pups at Cabo Blanco colony. A year of strong swells affect negatively to pups inside the caves, taking the sand out of the inside beaches, separating them from their mothers, not letting them lactate efficiently and, even, taking them out adrift. They die at the end by weakness and exhaustion.

In this sense, it can be said that 2014 has been a benign year, where heat and climate stability has been prolonged until around the middle of November at the north Atlantic.

On other post it has been describe how pups, around two months of age, change their black fur and turn to charming fatty creatures of pearly grey fur. At this age category we call it young-pup or JC. But they will still be feeding on milk from their mothers at least two more months. They spend their time playing in front of the caves, chasing, searching, biting. Definitively, discovering and exercising their capacities for the coming up phase: weaning.

It starts one of the hardest period for the JC. Now they will have to look for food by themselves and acquire one of the fundamental abilities for survival, to learn how to avoid fisher nets, one of their biggest threats.

For now, let’s keep with this marvelous moment and enjoy this authentic JC soup. A new generation of monk seals at the Cabo Blanco colony is getting ready for the hard path of survival.

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