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 favorite species is the Elephant Seal, here are some enjoyable facts about these magnificent creatures and the surroundings they inhabit. An Antarctic cruise is an icy safari, with many various 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 as much as six and a half metres! Elephant seal infants when born weigh around 50 kilograms. Within three months they are going to weigh 150kg! Pups are typically born from September to October when their mothers come ashore at their berthing beaches across the continent. The gestation interval for a female Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are extremely social animals and type large teams or harems for a month in the course of the breeding season. Elephants seals are among the biggest carnivores in the world eating squid and fish as the main sources of food in their weight loss plan, 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 physical distinction between the male and female of a species. Males may be up to 10 instances the burden of reproductive females. Elephant seals may be discovered throughout the Antarctic area, however are most prevalent across the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They had been hunted for their blubber through 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 city a 12 months. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, https://j6fofficeog3.weebly.com/blog/10-facts-about-elephant-seals-chimu-adventures-blog4093607 and do lack genetic variety, so there are still considerations over the longer term of these animals. Nevertheless, from a small group of animals left, there are actually an estimated population of 150,000 which live primarily across the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their important predator is the Orca, and in the northern most part of their range.. Massive sharks. Leopard seals have additionally been identified to assault and kill stray young. They're called elephant seals because of a variety of reasons, partly due to their size and in addition 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 powerful 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, however keep your distance - regardless of their measurement they can move fast on land, and are highly aggressive when protecting their territory and younger. Usually they are not afraid of man, nevertheless if disturbed while resting, reproducing or marking territory they are often a different proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter in your cruise. Regardless of as soon as being on the endangered list, because of the protection of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is not in any rapid danger. Because of Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for serving to put this together. However, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human activities may 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 leading knowledgeable 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 a number of seasons.
