10 Info About Elephant Seals - Chimu Adventures Weblog

Elephant seals in Antarctica are a incredible sight to behold on any trip to Antarctica and one of many region’s most unique and recognisable species. One among our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, listed below are some enjoyable information about these magnificent creatures and the surroundings they inhabit. An Antarctic cruise is an icy safari, with many different species of animals to observe. Females are smaller and weigh around 7 - 800 kg. An adult male Elephant seal can weigh up to 5 tonnes and measure up to six and a half metres! Elephant seal babies when born weigh round 50 kilograms. Within 3 months they may weigh 150kg! Pups are typically born from September to October when their mothers come ashore at their berthing beaches around the continent. The gestation period for a female Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are extremely social animals and form giant groups or harems for a month through the breeding season. Elephants seals are amongst the largest carnivores on this planet eating squid and fish as the main sources of food in their eating regimen, and have been measured diving up to up to 2000m deep and may hold breath for up to 2 hours! Sexual dimorphism is a physical difference between the male and feminine of a species. Males may be up to 10 times the burden of reproductive females. Elephant seals will be discovered across the Antarctic area, but are most prevalent around 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 actually breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to mild the town a year. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic variety, so there are nonetheless considerations over the future of these animals. Nonetheless, from a small group of animals left, there at the moment are an estimated inhabitants of 150,000 which reside primarily across the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their most important predator is the Orca, and in the northern most a part of their vary.. Massive sharks. Leopard seals have also been known to assault and kill stray young. They are known as elephant seals as a result of a variety of reasons, partly due to their dimension and likewise partly due to the male snout or trunk that inflates to impress and intimidate rivals when competing with other males for his harem. The depth and volume of the sound is a demonstration to others how highly effective he's, 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, but keep your distance - despite their dimension they will move quick on land, and are extremely aggressive when defending their territory and younger. Generally they don't seem to be afraid of man, nevertheless if disturbed while resting, reproducing or marking territory they are often a special proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter in your cruise. Regardless of once being on the endangered list, due to the protection of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is not in any immediate danger. Thanks to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for helping put this together. However, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and stuffed elephants human activities may sooner or later see some issues with their native habitat. Dr. Miko was a lecturer on-board our last PinkTarctica Antarctic expedition to the Peninsula and is a leading knowledgeable 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.