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 favorite species is the Elephant Seal, listed below are some fun facts 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 round 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 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 interval for a female Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are highly social animals and type massive teams or harems for a month throughout the breeding season. Elephants seals are among the biggest carnivores on the planet consuming squid and fish as the principle sources of food of their weight-reduction plan, and have been measured diving up to up to 2000m deep and might hold breath for up to two hours! Sexual dimorphism is a physical difference between the male and female of a species. Males may be up to ten occasions the load of reproductive females. Elephant seals might be found throughout the Antarctic area, but are most prevalent across the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They had been hunted for his or her blubber through the sealing days. Solely 2 - 3 % of male Elephant seals really breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to light town a year. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic diversity, so there are nonetheless issues over the future of these animals. Nonetheless, from a small group of animals left, there at the moment are an estimated inhabitants of 150,000 which live primarily across the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their foremost predator is the Orca, and in the northern most a part of their vary.. Massive sharks. Leopard seals have also been recognized to assault and kill stray younger. They're called elephant seals attributable to numerous reasons, partly because of their size 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 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. Benefit from the majestic Elephant seal on a cruise to Antarctica, but keep your distance - regardless of their size they can move fast on land, and are extremely white elephant stuffed animals aggressive when protecting their territory and younger. Generally they are not afraid of man, nevertheless if disturbed while resting, reproducing or marking territory they can be a unique proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter in your cruise. Regardless of as soon as being on the endangered checklist, because of the safety of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is now not in any fast danger. Due to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for serving to put this collectively. Nevertheless, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human activities may in the future see some issues with their native habitat. Dr. Miko was a lecturer on-board our final PinkTarctica Antarctic expedition to the Peninsula and is a leading expert 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.
