Elephant seals in Antarctica are a unbelievable sight to behold on any journey to Antarctica and one of the region’s most unique and recognisable species. One in all our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, listed below are some enjoyable details about these magnificent creatures and the setting they inhabit. An Antarctic cruise is an icy safari, with many different 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 as much as six and a half metres! Elephant seal infants when born weigh around 50 kilograms. Within three months they will 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 female Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are highly social animals and form massive groups or harems for a month throughout the breeding season. Elephants seals are amongst the largest carnivores on the earth consuming squid and fish as the principle sources of meals of their diet, and have been measured diving up to up to 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 burden of reproductive females. Elephant seals could be discovered across the Antarctic region, but are most prevalent across the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They were hunted for his or stuffed animal her blubber through the sealing days. Solely 2 - three % of male Elephant seals really breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to gentle 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 at the moment are an estimated inhabitants of 150,000 which live mainly around the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their important predator is the Orca, and within the northern most a part of their vary.. Large sharks. Leopard seals have also been recognized to attack and kill stray younger. They're known as elephant seals due to a number of causes, partly due to their measurement and also 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 quantity of the sound is a demonstration to others how highly effective 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. Enjoy the majestic Elephant seal on a cruise to Antarctica, but keep your distance - despite their dimension they can move 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 while resting, reproducing or marking territory they are often a different proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter on your cruise. Despite as soon as being on the endangered checklist, as a result of safety of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is no longer in any instant hazard. Thanks to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for helping put this collectively. Nevertheless, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human activities might in the future see some points with their native habitat. Dr. Miko was a lecturer on-board our last PinkTarctica Antarctic expedition to the Peninsula and is a number one professional 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.
