Elephant seals in Antarctica are a implausible sight to behold on any journey to Antarctica and one of the region’s most unique and recognisable species. One of our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, here are some enjoyable information about these magnificent creatures and the setting 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 adult male Elephant seal can weigh up to 5 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 generally 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 kind large teams or harems for a month throughout the breeding season. Elephants seals are amongst the largest carnivores in the world consuming squid and fish as the principle sources of food in their weight loss plan, 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 difference between the male and feminine of a species. Males may be up to ten times the load of reproductive females. Elephant seals could be found throughout the Antarctic region, but are most prevalent around the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They were hunted for his or her blubber in the course of the sealing days. Solely 2 - 3 % of male Elephant seals truly breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to mild the town a yr. 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. However, from a small group of animals left, there are now an estimated inhabitants of 150,000 which reside mainly across the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their principal predator is the Orca, and in the northern most a part of their vary.. Large sharks. Leopard seals have also been known to assault and kill stray young. They're referred to as elephant seals due to quite a few reasons, partly due to their size and likewise 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 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 - despite their dimension they will transfer fast on land, and are highly aggressive when defending their territory and young. Usually 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 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 immediate danger. Because of Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for serving to put this collectively. However, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human actions may in the future see some issues with their native habitat. Dr. Miko was a lecturer on-board stuffed elephant toy our last 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.
