Sequence of events of a male northern elephant seal retrieving a pup in distress at Point Reyes, California: (a) the female called towards her pup which was washed off the beach by waves and was being drawn out to sea; (b) the male used high energy to charge across the wet sand into the surf, and swam towards the pup; (c) while swimming, the male gently pushed the pup to shore with his head and body; (d) the male positioned himself on solid sand while in the wave wash to physically block the pup from being drawn back out by waves; (e) the female bellowed after reunion with her pup and the pair moved up the beach away from the waterline; and (f) the male trumpeted at the edge of the wave wash within seconds after the female bellowed. Credit: Marine Mammal Science (2024). DOI: 10.1111/mms.13105

https://phys.org/news/2024-02-altruism-bull-elephant.html