In a mild winter, all but 5 percent of the elephant seal pups born in the Point Reyes National Seashore typically survive. But after this year’s storms, as many as 20 percent of them might not make it. Sarah Codde, a park service marine biologist, said roughly 200 pups may have been separated from their mothers by this year’s storms. Some of them were swept to sea, and those that weren’t will likely starve to death. “In the coming weeks, we’ll see more of the total effects,” she said. “It’s hard to know their fate right now.” The toll of the most recent storms is unlikely to be as steep as the Feb. 4 storm, which arrived shortly after most of the pups were born and battered the headlands with 98 mile-per-hour gusts. “The pups are getting older now, so they’re more likely to survive,” Ms. Codde said. Roughly 1,200 pups were born in the seashore this year. Last year, a major storm hit during pupping season, but fewer pups had been born, so fewer died. Elephant seals arrive in late December or January each year to give birth and mate at Drakes Beach, Chimney Rock and the southern end of South Beach. Storms have washed away much of the seals’ favored area at Drakes Beach south of the visitor center, leading to a large increase in the number hauling out directly by the parking lot. During pupping season, the lot is open and staffed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Female seals remain with their pups for 28 days before returning to the sea to hunt for food. The pups remain on their own for about two months, learning to swim and dive as they live off the fat they accumulated before being weaned. Ms. Codde said the last female likely gave birth last week and all the females will be gone by mid-March. Some males will linger for a week or two longer.