Elephant seals in Antarctica are a fantastic sight to behold on any trip to Antarctica and one of many region’s most distinctive and recognisable species. Certainly one of our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, listed here are some fun details about these magnificent creatures and the environment 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 5 tonnes and measure up to six and a half metres! Elephant seal infants when born weigh around 50 kilograms. Within three months they will weigh 150kg! Pups are typically 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 kind large https://postheaven.net/arthiwlqan/elephant-seals-in-antarctica-are-a-unbelievable-sight-to-behold-on-any-journey groups or harems for a month throughout the breeding season. Elephants seals are among the largest carnivores on this planet consuming squid and fish as the principle sources of meals in their food plan, and have been measured diving as much as as much as 2000m deep and may hold breath for up to two hours! Sexual dimorphism is a physical difference between the male and feminine of a species. Males could also be up to ten times the burden of reproductive females. Elephant seals could be found throughout the Antarctic region, however are most prevalent across the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They had been hunted for their blubber throughout the sealing days. Solely 2 - three % of male Elephant seals really breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to mild town a year. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic diversity, so there are nonetheless concerns over the long run of those animals. However, from a small group of animals left, there are now an estimated inhabitants of 150,000 which live mainly around the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their main predator is the Orca, and in the northern most part of their vary.. Massive sharks. Leopard seals have also been identified to assault and kill stray younger. They are called elephant seals due to quite a lot of causes, partly because of their size and also 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 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, however keep your distance - regardless of their measurement they'll transfer fast on land, and are highly aggressive when defending their territory and younger. Usually 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 in your cruise. Regardless of once being on the endangered checklist, due to the safety of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is now not in any speedy danger. Due to 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 leading 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 several seasons.
