Elephant seals in Antarctica are a fantastic sight to behold on any journey to Antarctica and one of many region’s most unique and recognisable species. Certainly one of our favorite species is the Elephant Seal, listed below are some fun info about these magnificent creatures and the atmosphere they inhabit. An Antarctic cruise is an icy safari, with many various 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 metres! Elephant seal babies when born weigh around 50 kilograms. Within three months they will weigh 150kg! Pups are generally born from September to October when their mothers come ashore at their berthing beaches around the continent. The gestation interval for a feminine Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are highly social animals and type giant groups or harems for a month throughout the breeding elephant stuffed animal season. Elephants seals are among the biggest carnivores on this planet 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 may hold breath for up to 2 hours! Sexual dimorphism is a bodily distinction between the male and feminine of a species. Males could also be up to ten instances the burden of reproductive females. Elephant seals can be found throughout the Antarctic region, but are most prevalent around the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They have been hunted for his or her blubber through the sealing days. Only 2 - 3 % of male Elephant seals really breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to light the city a yr. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic range, so there are nonetheless 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 dwell mainly around the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their fundamental predator is the Orca, and within the northern most a part of their vary.. Massive sharks. Leopard seals have additionally been identified to assault and kill stray young. They are known as elephant seals as a consequence of quite a few causes, partly due to their dimension and in addition partly due to 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. Benefit from the majestic Elephant seal on a cruise to Antarctica, but keep your distance - despite their measurement they can transfer quick on land, and are highly aggressive when defending their territory and young. Usually they don't seem to be afraid of man, nonetheless if disturbed while resting, reproducing or marking territory they can be a special proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter on your cruise. Despite once being on the endangered list, because of the protection of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is no longer in any rapid danger. Because of Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for serving to put this collectively. However, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human activities could 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 professional on Elephant seals and their behaviour. Dr. Mikolaj is a local of Poland, and was base commander of the Polish base on the Antarctic Peninsula for a number of seasons.
