10 Facts About Elephant Seals - Chimu Adventures Blog

Elephant seals in Antarctica are a implausible sight to behold on any journey to Antarctica and one of the region’s most distinctive and recognisable species. One among our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, here are some enjoyable facts about these magnificent creatures and the environment they inhabit. An Antarctic cruise is an icy safari, with many alternative species of animals to observe. Females are smaller and weigh around 7 - 800 kg. An grownup male Elephant seal can weigh up to five tonnes and measure up to six and a half metres! Elephant seal babies when born weigh round 50 kilograms. Within three months they will weigh 150kg! Pups are generally born from September to October when their mothers come ashore at their berthing beaches across the continent. The gestation period for a feminine Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are extremely social animals and form giant teams or harems for a month throughout the breeding season. Elephants seals are amongst the biggest carnivores on the planet eating squid and fish as the principle sources of meals of their weight loss program, and have been measured diving up to up to 2000m deep and might hold breath for up to two hours! Sexual dimorphism is a physical distinction between the male and feminine of a species. Males may be up to 10 instances the weight of reproductive females. Elephant seals can be discovered throughout the Antarctic area, however are most prevalent around the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They were hunted for their blubber through the sealing days. Only 2 - 3 % of male Elephant seals really breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to mild the town a yr. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic diversity, so there are nonetheless issues over the future of these animals. Nevertheless, from a small group of animals left, there at the moment are an estimated population of 150,000 which reside mainly across the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their major predator is the Orca, and within the northern most part of their vary.. Massive sharks. Leopard seals have additionally been identified to attack and kill stray younger. They're called elephant seals resulting from quite a few reasons, partly due to their dimension and also partly because of the male snout or trunk that inflates to impress and intimidate rivals when competing with different males for elephant stuffed animal his harem. The depth and volume of the sound is a demonstration to others how highly effective he is, and thus so avoids fights with competing males. The trunk is inflated with air which is inhaled and thus a loud bellowing sound is produced. Benefit from the majestic Elephant seal on a cruise to Antarctica, however keep your distance - regardless of their size they will move quick on land, and are highly aggressive when defending their territory and younger. Generally they are not afraid of man, nevertheless if disturbed while resting, reproducing or marking territory they can be a unique proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter in your cruise. Regardless of once being on the endangered record, because of the safety of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is now not in any quick danger. Thanks to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for serving to put this together. Nonetheless, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human actions might sooner or later see some issues with their native habitat. Dr. Miko was a lecturer on-board our final PinkTarctica Antarctic expedition to the Peninsula and is a number one professional on Elephant seals and their behaviour. Dr. Mikolaj is a local of Poland, and was base commander of the Polish base on the Antarctic Peninsula for a number of seasons.