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 fun 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 around 7 - 800 kg. An adult 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. Within three months they may weigh 150kg! Pups are usually born from September to October when their mothers come ashore at their berthing beaches across the continent. The gestation period for a feminine Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are extremely social animals and type massive teams or harems for a month in the course of the breeding season. Elephants seals are among the biggest carnivores on this planet consuming squid and fish as the primary sources of food in their weight loss program, and have been measured diving as much as up to 2000m deep and might hold breath for up to 2 hours! Sexual dimorphism is a physical difference between the male and female of a species. Males may be up to ten times the weight of reproductive females. Elephant seals will be discovered throughout the Antarctic region, but are most prevalent across the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They were hunted for their blubber in the course of the sealing days. Solely 2 - three % of male Elephant seals actually breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to mild the town a year. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic variety, so there are still considerations over the long run of those animals. Nevertheless, from a small group of animals left, there are now an estimated inhabitants of 150,000 which stay primarily across the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their most important predator is the Orca, and in the northern most part of their range.. Giant sharks. Leopard seals have additionally been recognized to attack and kill stray younger. They are referred to as elephant seals attributable to numerous causes, partly because of their measurement and also partly because of 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, but keep your distance - regardless of their dimension they will move quick on land, and are extremely aggressive when defending their territory and younger. Typically they don't seem to be afraid of man, however if disturbed whereas resting, reproducing or marking territory they can be a distinct proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter on your cruise. Despite once being on the endangered checklist, as a result of safety of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is no longer in any speedy hazard. Because of Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for helping put this collectively. However, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human actions may in the future see some points 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 elephant stuffed animal on the Antarctic Peninsula for a number of seasons.
