Coyotes Identified as Culprits Behind Decapitated Seal Pups in California

The mystery, which has puzzled scientists for nearly a decade, was solved by ecologist Frankie Gerraty who captured footage of a coyote decapitating a seal pup.

For nearly a decade, decapitated harbor seal pups have been appearing on beaches at California’s MacKerricher State Park, mystifying scientists.
Ecologist Frankie Gerraty identified coyotes as the culprits by setting up cameras near the seals’ stomping grounds at the state park.
Video footage confirmed Gerraty’s pre-existing hunch, showing a coyote dragging a freshly killed seal and decapitating it.
The coyote population in California’s Bay Area has rebounded in recent years, allowing a natural predator to reenter the food chain after being removed for decades.
Gerraty theorizes that coyotes are decapitating the seals because the seal brains are nutritious and easier to access than the rest of the body, which is covered in blubber.