Elephant seals in Antarctica are a incredible sight to behold on any trip to Antarctica and one of the region’s most unique and recognisable species. Certainly one of our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, listed below are some fun details about these magnificent creatures and the atmosphere they inhabit. An Antarctic cruise is an icy safari, with many various species of animals to observe. Females are smaller and weigh round 7 - 800 kg. An grownup male Elephant seal can weigh up to 5 tonnes and measure up to six and a half metres! Elephant seal infants 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 interval for a female Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are highly social animals and form large groups or harems for a month during the breeding season. Elephants seals are amongst the largest carnivores in the world eating squid and fish as the main sources of meals of their weight loss program, and have been measured diving up to as much as 2000m deep and may hold breath for up to two hours! Sexual dimorphism is a physical distinction between the male and female of a species. Males could also be up to 10 times the burden of reproductive females. Elephant seals can be found across the Antarctic region, however are most prevalent around the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They had been hunted for their blubber in the course of the sealing days. Only 2 - 3 % of male Elephant seals actually breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to light the city a year. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic variety, so there are still issues over the longer term of those animals. Nevertheless, from a small group of animals left, there are actually an estimated inhabitants of 150,000 which reside primarily across the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their main predator is the Orca, and in the northern most a part of their vary.. Giant sharks. Leopard seals have also been recognized to assault and kill stray young. They're known as elephant seals due to a lot of causes, 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 quantity 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. Benefit from the majestic Elephant seal on a cruise to Antarctica, however keep your distance - despite their size they'll transfer fast on land, and are extremely aggressive when protecting their territory and young. Generally they aren't 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 listing, due to the protection of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is not in baby elephant stuffed animals any immediate hazard. Thanks to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for serving to put this together. Nonetheless, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human activities might in the future 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 skilled 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.
