10 Info About Elephant Seals - Chimu Adventures Weblog

1. Elephant seals in Antarctica are a fantastic sight to behold on any trip to Antarctica and one of the region’s most distinctive and recognisable species. One among our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, listed here are some enjoyable information about these magnificent creatures and the atmosphere 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. Inside 3 months they are going to 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 type giant groups or harems for a month in the course of the breeding season. Elephants seals are amongst the largest carnivores on the earth eating squid and fish as the primary sources of food of their eating regimen, and have been measured diving up to as much as 2000m deep and can hold breath for up to two hours! Sexual dimorphism is a bodily distinction between the male and female of a species. Males could also be up to 10 times the weight of reproductive females. Elephant seals may 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 throughout the sealing days. Solely 2 - three % of male Elephant seals truly breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to mild town a year. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic variety, so there are still issues over the future of those animals. Nonetheless, from a small group of animals left, there are actually an estimated population of 150,000 which dwell primarily around the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their foremost predator is the Orca, and within the northern most a part of their range.. Giant sharks. Leopard seals have also been recognized to attack and kill stray younger. They're referred to as elephant seals because of a lot of causes, partly due to their dimension and likewise partly because of the male snout or trunk that inflates to impress and intimidate rivals when competing with different males for his harem. The depth and quantity of the sound is a demonstration to others how powerful 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 stuffed elephants they will transfer fast on land, and are extremely aggressive when defending their territory and younger. Typically they are not afraid of man, nonetheless if disturbed while resting, reproducing or marking territory they are often a unique proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter on your cruise. Despite once being on the endangered checklist, due to the safety of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is no longer in any quick danger. Thanks to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for helping put this together. Nonetheless, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human actions could in the future see some points with their native habitat. Dr. Miko was a lecturer on-board our final PinkTarctica Antarctic expedition to the Peninsula and is a leading expert on Elephant seals and their behaviour. Dr. Mikolaj is a native of Poland, and was base commander of the Polish base on the Antarctic Peninsula for several seasons.