10 Details About Elephant Seals - Chimu Adventures Blog

Elephant seals in Antarctica are a incredible sight to behold on any journey to Antarctica and one of many region’s most unique and recognisable species. Certainly one of our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, listed here are some fun facts about these magnificent creatures and the setting they inhabit. An Antarctic cruise is an icy safari, with many different species of animals to observe. Females are smaller and weigh white elephant stuffed animals around 7 - 800 kg. An adult male Elephant seal can weigh up to five tonnes and measure as much as six and a half metres! Elephant seal babies when born weigh around 50 kilograms. Within 3 months they may weigh 150kg! Pups are generally born from September to October when their mothers come ashore at their berthing beaches around the continent. The gestation period for a feminine Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are highly social animals and kind massive teams or harems for a month during the breeding season. Elephants seals are amongst the most important carnivores in the world consuming squid and fish as the main sources of meals in their food plan, and have been measured diving up to as much as 2000m deep and can hold breath for up to 2 hours! Sexual dimorphism is a physical difference between the male and female of a species. Males may be up to ten times the burden of reproductive females. Elephant seals may be found across the Antarctic region, however are most prevalent across the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They were hunted for his or her blubber in the course of the sealing days. Solely 2 - 3 % of male Elephant seals truly breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to gentle the city a year. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic range, so there are nonetheless concerns over the future of these animals. Nonetheless, from a small group of animals left, there are actually an estimated inhabitants of 150,000 which live mainly around the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their main predator is the Orca, and within the northern most a part of their vary.. Giant sharks. Leopard seals have additionally been known to attack and kill stray young. They are called elephant seals on account of a number of reasons, partly due to their size and also partly due to the male snout or trunk that inflates to impress and intimidate rivals when competing with different males for 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. Enjoy the majestic Elephant seal on a cruise to Antarctica, however keep your distance - regardless of their dimension they'll transfer quick on land, and are extremely aggressive when protecting their territory and young. Usually they don't seem to be afraid of man, nonetheless if disturbed while resting, reproducing or marking territory they are often a special proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter on your cruise. Despite as soon as being on the endangered listing, due to the protection of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is no longer in any rapid hazard. Thanks to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for helping put this collectively. Nevertheless, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human activities could in the future 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 expert 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 several seasons.