Ferocious human-like monsters that battle hobbits and heroes in the blockbuster film “The Fellowship of the Ring” owe their voices to a serendipitous drive into the fog-swept Marin Headlands and a Bay ...

Ferocious human-like monsters in the blockbuster film “The Fellowship of the Ring” owe their voices to a serendipitous drive in the Marin Headlands and a Novato sound designer attuned to unusual ...

GONYEA: Turns out the sounds and rhythms of individual elephant seals are unique. And once the alpha male's signature call is heard, even if it's recorded and played back over loudspeakers, other ...

Northern elephant seals are protected by federal law, and disturbing them during fasting and breeding can cause stress, ...

Deep, guttural calls echoes through the air, greeting visitors as they get out of their cars in the Piedras Blancas elephant seal viewpoint parking lot off Highway 1. The bulls are back on the beach ...

Elephant seals are huge, gray and blubbery. They have a big snout and a very distinctive voice. (SOUNDBITE OF ELEPHANT SEAL GRUNTING) SUMMERS: But despite the obvious differences, elephant seals ...

Instead, we were met with an eerie silence and a devastating sight: beaches once bustling with thousands of seals were littered with hundreds of dead pups and adults. The usual cacophony had been ...