Elephant seals in Antarctica are a incredible sight to behold on any journey to Antarctica and one of the region’s most unique and recognisable species. One among our favorite species is the Elephant Seal, here are some enjoyable details about these magnificent creatures and the environment they inhabit. An Antarctic cruise is an icy safari, with many alternative species of animals to observe. Females are smaller and weigh round 7 - 800 kg. An adult male Elephant seal can weigh up to five tonnes and measure as much as six and a half metres! Elephant seal babies when born weigh around 50 kilograms. Inside 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 form giant teams or harems for a month in the course of the breeding season. Elephants seals are among the most important carnivores on this planet eating squid and fish as the main sources of meals of their weight loss program, and have been measured diving as much as up to 2000m deep and may hold breath for up to 2 hours! Sexual dimorphism is a bodily difference between the male and feminine of a species. Males could also be up to 10 times the weight of reproductive females. Elephant seals could be discovered throughout 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 - 3 % of male Elephant seals actually breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to gentle the city a 12 months. 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 these animals. Nevertheless, from a small group of animals left, there are actually an estimated population of 150,000 which reside primarily around the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their predominant predator is the Orca, and in the northern most a part of their range.. Massive sharks. Leopard seals have also been known to attack and kill stray younger. They are referred to as elephant seals as a consequence of quite a lot of causes, partly due to their size and also 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 quantity of the sound is a stuffed elephants 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 - despite their measurement they'll move quick on land, and are extremely aggressive when protecting their territory and younger. Generally they don't seem to be afraid of man, nonetheless if disturbed while resting, reproducing or marking territory they are often a distinct proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter on your cruise. Regardless of once being on the endangered checklist, as a result of protection of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is now not in any speedy hazard. Thanks to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for helping put this together. Nevertheless, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human actions may sooner or later 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 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.
