Elephant seals in Antarctica are a unbelievable sight to behold on any journey to Antarctica and one of many region’s most distinctive and recognisable species. One of our favorite species is the Elephant Seal, listed below are some enjoyable details 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 grownup male Elephant seal can weigh up to five tonnes and measure as much as six and a half stuffed animal elephant metres! Elephant seal infants when born weigh around 50 kilograms. Within three months they may weigh 150kg! Pups are usually 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 massive teams or harems for a month through the breeding season. Elephants seals are among the biggest carnivores on this planet consuming squid and fish as the main sources of meals of their weight loss program, and have been measured diving as much as as much as 2000m deep and can hold breath for up to 2 hours! Sexual dimorphism is a bodily distinction between the male and female of a species. Males may be up to 10 times the load of reproductive females. Elephant seals can be discovered throughout the Antarctic area, but are most prevalent across the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They were hunted for his or her blubber during the sealing days. Solely 2 – 3 % of male Elephant seals actually 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 diversity, so there are still concerns over the longer term of these animals. Nevertheless, from a small group of animals left, there are now an estimated inhabitants of 150,000 which stay mainly around the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their predominant predator is the Orca, and within the northern most a part of their range.. Massive sharks. Leopard seals have also been identified to attack and kill stray younger. They're referred to as elephant seals on account of numerous causes, partly due to their size and in addition partly because of 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 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, but keep your distance – regardless of their size they'll transfer fast on land, and are extremely aggressive when protecting their territory and younger. Generally they don't seem to be afraid of man, however if disturbed whereas resting, reproducing or marking territory they can be a unique proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter in your cruise. Despite as soon as being on the endangered record, because of the protection of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is not in any quick hazard. Thanks to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for serving to put this together. Nevertheless, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human actions 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 native of Poland, and was base commander of the Polish base on the Antarctic Peninsula for a number of seasons.
