Elephant seals in Antarctica are a implausible sight to behold on any trip to Antarctica and one of the region’s most distinctive and recognisable species. One among our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, here are some enjoyable information 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 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. Inside three months they'll weigh 150kg! Pups are usually born from September to October when their mothers come ashore at their berthing beaches around the continent. The gestation period for a female Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are extremely social animals and form massive teams or harems for a month through the breeding season. Elephants seals are amongst the most important carnivores on the planet eating squid and fish as the primary sources of food of their diet, 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 may be up to 10 instances the burden of reproductive females. Elephant seals will be found throughout the Antarctic area, however are most prevalent around the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They were hunted for his or her blubber throughout the sealing days. Solely 2 - 3 % of male Elephant seals really breed. London alone used 20,000 tonnes of elephant seal oil to gentle the city a 12 months. These animals have grown from a small group of animals, and do lack genetic variety, so there are nonetheless considerations 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 around the Baja Gulf in Mexico and on the shores of Southern California, USA. Their principal predator is the Orca, and in the northern most a part of their vary.. Large sharks. Leopard seals have additionally been recognized to attack and kill stray young. They are called elephant seals due to quite a lot of causes, partly because of their size and likewise 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, however keep your distance - regardless of their dimension they will move quick on land, and are highly aggressive when defending their territory and young. Generally they aren't afraid of man, however if disturbed whereas resting, reproducing or marking territory they can be a different proposition. Keep clear as per most wildlife you encounter in your cruise. Despite as soon as being on the endangered list, due to the protection of the Antarctic treaty, the Southern Elephant seal is now not in any rapid hazard. Thanks to Dr Mikolaj Golachowski for serving to put this collectively. Nonetheless, over-fishing of Antarctic waters and human activities could in the future see some issues with their native habitat. Dr. Miko was a lecturer on-board our last PinkTarctica Antarctic expedition to the Peninsula and is a leading skilled on Elephant seals and their behaviour. Dr. Mikolaj is a local of Poland, stuffed elephant for baby and was base commander of the Polish base on the Antarctic Peninsula for a number of seasons.
