Sea Elephant. Elephant seal lifestyle and habitat

Sea Elephant

The elephant seal is the largest pinniped. There are two species of elephant seals - the northern elephant seal, which lives on west coast North American continent, and the not much different southern elephant seal living in Antarctica.

Elephant seals got their name because of their impressive size and trunk-shaped nose, which only males of these animals have.

The “trunk” is absent in females and very young male elephant seals. The nose of males grows gradually and only by the eighth year of life it acquires its final size. The large trunk of adult males hangs over the mouth with the nostrils down.

Elephant seal and man

During the mating season, male elephant seals become very aggressive and fight fiercely among themselves. During these fights, the male can tear his opponent's nose to shreds.

The sizes of male and female elephant seals are very different. The male can reach a length of 6 and a half meters, females up to 3 and a half.

Elephant seals They spend most of their lives alone, like cats. ONLY when the time comes to mate do elephant seals gather in large herds. At the same time, there are at least ten females per male, sometimes the ratio reaches twenty.

Fights between male elephant seals occur for possession of a harem. Young elephant seals are pushed to the edges of the colony, where their chances of mating are less. But driven by instinct, they regularly try to get to the center of the colony, which leads to fierce fights.

In the crush of colonies, many elephant seal calves die under the weight of large males. In fact, child mortality in these colonies is enormous.

Constant fights are the reason why male elephant seals live four years less than females. The male can live 14 years.

The diet of elephant seals mainly consists of fish and cephalopods. They can dive for prey enormous depths, up to 1400 meters. Elephant seals have this ability because large volume blood, which stores a lot of oxygen.

The danger for elephant seals comes from killer whales and white sharks that hunt in upper layers water.

Let's look at two species of elephant seals.

Northern elephant seal

Previously, this species was very numerous and lived along the entire coast. North America from Alaska to Baja California. But in the 19th century, northern elephant seals began to be mass hunted for their fat.

For some time this species was considered extinct, but one colony survived on the Mexican island of Guadalupe. Today this species is protected and its population is steadily increasing.

Southern elephant seal

The southern elephant seal is the most major representative pinnipeds. Lives in Antarctic and subantarctic waters. The length of the southern elephant seal reaches six meters, and its weight can reach four tons.

Most of the population lives in the Subantarctic. Previously, colonies of this species were in Tasmania, on King Island, Juan Fernandez Island and St. Helena Island. But massive fishing led to the complete destruction of these colonies.

The number of southern elephant seal species currently reaches 670–800 thousand individuals.

Origin of the species and description

The elephant seal is a deep-sea diver, a long-distance traveler, and an animal that fasts for long periods of time. Elephant seals are extraordinary, coming together on land to give birth, mate and moult, but at sea they are solitary. To their appearance enormous demands are made in order to continue one's lineage. Research shows that elephant seals are the children of a dolphin and a platypus or a dolphin and a koala.

Video: Elephant seal

Interesting fact: These massive pinnipeds are not called elephant seals because of their size. They got their name from their inflatable faces that look like an elephant's trunk.

The history of the development of the elephant seal colony began on November 25, 1990, when less than two dozen individuals of these animals were counted in a small bay south of the Piedras Blancas lighthouse. In the spring of 1991, almost 400 seals were bred. In January 1992, the first birth occurred. The colony grew at a phenomenal pace. In 1993, about 50 cubs were born. In 1995, another 600 cubs were born. The population explosion continued. By 1996, the number of cubs born had increased to almost 1,000, and the colony extended all the way to the beaches along the coastal highway. The colony continues to expand today. In 2015, there were 10,000 elephant seals.

Appearance and features

Elephant seals are sociable animals belonging to the family Phocidae. The northern elephant seal is yellowish or gray-brown, while the southern elephant seal is blue-gray. The southern species has an extensive molting period, during which significant areas of hair and skin are lost. Males of both species reach a length of about 6.5 meters (21 ft) and a weight of about 3,530 kg (7,780 lb) and grow much larger than the females, which sometimes reach 3.5 meters and weigh 900 kg.

Elephant seals reach speeds of 23.2 km/h. Most great view of the 33 existing pinnipeds - the southern elephant seal. Males can be over 6 meters in length and weigh up to 4.5 tons. harbor seals have a wide round face with very large eyes. The cubs are born with a black coat that sheds around the time of weaning (28 days), being replaced by a smooth, silver-gray coat. Within a year the coat will turn silver-brown.

Female elephant seals first give birth at around 4 years of age, although the range ranges from 2 to 6 years. Females are considered physically mature at age 6. Males reach sexual maturity at around 4 years of age, when the nose begins to grow. The nose is a secondary sexual characteristic, like a man's beard, and can reach an astonishing length of half a meter. Males reach physical maturity at about 9 years of age. The main breeding age is 9-12 years. Northern elephant seals live on average 9 years, while southern ones live from 20 to 22 years.

Humans shed hair and skin all the time, but elephant seals go through a catastrophic molt, in which the entire layer of epidermis with the hairs attached sticks together at one point in time. The reason for this sudden molting is that at sea they spend most of their time in cold, deep water. During the dive process, blood moves away from the skin. This helps them conserve energy and not lose body heat. Animals come to land while molting so that blood can circulate through the skin to help grow a new layer of epidermis and hair.

Where does the elephant seal live?

There are two types of elephant seals:

• northern;
• southern.

Northern elephant seals are found from northern Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. During the breeding season, they live on beaches on offshore islands and in a few remote locations on the mainland. During the rest of the year, with the exception of molting periods, elephant seals live far from the coast (up to 8000 km), usually descending to depths of more than 1500 meters below the ocean surface.

Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) live in sub-Antarctic and cold Antarctic waters. They are distributed throughout and on most of the sub-Antarctic islands. The population is concentrated on the Antipodes Islands and Campbell Island. In winter they often visit Auckland, Antipodes and Snares Islands, less frequently Chatham Islands and sometimes various mainland areas. Southern elephant seals occasionally visit local mainland coastlines

On the mainland, they can remain in the area for several months, giving people the opportunity to observe animals that normally live in sub-Antarctic waters. The grace and speed of such large marine mammals can be an impressive sight, and young seals can be very playful.

Interesting fact: Unlike most other marine mammals (such as dugongs), elephant seals are not entirely aquatic: they emerge from the water to rest, molt, mate, and give birth to their young.

What does an elephant seal eat?

Elephant seals - . Southern elephant seals are open ocean and spend most of their time at sea. They feed on fish, squid or other cephalopods found in Antarctic waters. They come ashore only to breed and moult. The rest of the year is spent feeding in the sea, where they rest by swimming on the surface and diving in search of large fish and While at sea they are often taken far from their breeding grounds and can travel very long distances between times spent on land.

It is believed that their females and males feed on different prey. The female diet mainly consists of squid, while the male diet is more varied, consisting of small rays and other bottom-dwelling fish. In search of food, males travel along the continental shelf to the Gulf of Alaska. Females tend to head north and west into the more open ocean. The elephant seal makes this migration twice a year, also returning to the rookery.

Elephant seals migrate in search of food, remain at sea for months, and often dive deep in search of food. In winter, they return to their rookeries to breed and give birth. Although male and female elephant seals spend time at sea, their migration routes and feeding habits differ: males follow a more consistent route, hunting along continental shelf and forage on the ocean floor, while females change their routes in search of moving prey and hunt more in the open ocean. Lacking echolocation, elephant seals use their vision and their whiskers to sense nearby movement.

Features of character and lifestyle

Elephant seals come ashore and form colonies for just a few months each year to give birth, breed, and molt. During the rest of the year, the colonies disperse and individuals spend most of their time searching for food, which involves swimming thousands of miles and diving to great depths. While elephant seals are at sea in search of food, they dive to incredible depths.

They usually dive to a depth of about 1500 meters. The average dive duration is 20 minutes, but they can dive for an hour or longer. When elephant seals come to the surface, they spend only 2-4 minutes on land before diving back into the water - and continue this diving procedure 24 hours a day.

On land, elephant seals often remain without water for long periods of time. To avoid dehydration, their kidneys may produce concentrated urine, which contains more waste and less actual water in each drop. The rookery is a very noisy place during the breeding season as males vocalize, babies call to feed, and females squabble with each other over prime location and babies. Grunts, snorts, burps, whimpers, creaks, squeals and male roars combine to create a symphony of elephant seal sound.

Social structure and reproduction

Southern elephant seals, like northern elephant seals, breed and molt on land, but winter at sea, possibly near pack ice. Southern elephant seals breed on land but spend the winter in the cold waters of Antarctica around Antarctic ice. The northern species does not migrate during the breeding process. When breeding season arrives, male elephant seals define and defend territories and become aggressive towards each other.

They collect a harem of 40 to 50 females, which are much smaller than their huge partners. Males fight each other for mating dominance. Some encounters end in roars and aggressive posturing, but many others turn into brutal and bloody battles.

The breeding season begins at the end of November. Females begin to arrive in mid-December and continue to arrive until mid-February. The first birth occurs around Christmas, but most births usually occur in the last two weeks of January. Females remain on the beach for about five weeks after coming ashore. Surprisingly, males stay on the beach for up to 100 days.

When feeding with milk, females do not eat - both mother and child live off the energy accumulated in sufficient reserves of her fat. Both males and females lose about 1/3 of their weight during the breeding season. Females give birth to one cub each year after an 11-month pregnancy.

Interesting fact: When a female gives birth, the milk she produces has about 12% fat. Two weeks later, this number increases to more than 50%, giving the liquid a pudding-like consistency. In comparison, cow's milk contains only 3.5% fat.

Natural enemies of elephant seals

Great southern elephant seals have few enemies, including:

• , which can hunt young and old seals;
• leopard seals, which sometimes attack and kill pups;
• some large sharks.

Elephant seals can also be considered enemies of members of their population during breeding. Elephant seals form harems in which the dominant, or alpha, male is surrounded by a group of females. On the periphery of the harem, beta males wait in hopes of an opportunity to mate. They help the alpha male hold off less dominant males. Male-male wrestling can be a bloody affair, with males getting to their feet and slamming themselves against each other, slashing with large canine teeth.

Elephant seals use their teeth during combat to rip the necks of their opponents. Large males can be severely injured from fighting with other males during the breeding season. Fights between dominant males and challengers can be long, bloody and extremely brutal, with the loser often suffering serious injuries. However, not all confrontations end in battle. Sometimes all they have to do is rear up on their hind legs, throw back their heads, boast about the size of their noses and roar threats to intimidate most opponents. But when battles occur, it rarely comes to death.

Population and species status

Both species of elephant seals were hunted for their blubber and were almost wiped out in the 19th century. However, under legal protection, their numbers are gradually increasing and their survival is no longer threatened. In the 1880s, northern elephant seals were thought to be extinct because both species were hunted by coastal whalers for their blubber, which is second in quality only to that of the sperm whale. A small group of 20-100 elephant seals that were bred on Guadalupe Island, off Baja California, survived the devastating results of the seal hunt.

Protected first by Mexico and then by Mexico, they are constantly expanding their population. Protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, they are expanding their range from outlying islands and are now colonizing isolated mainland beaches such as Piedras Blancas, in southern Big Sur, near San Simeon. The overall population estimate for elephant seals in 1999 was about 150,000.

Interesting fact: Elephant seals are wild animals and should not be approached. They are unpredictable and can cause great harm to humans, especially during the breeding season. Human intervention can force seals to use up precious energy needed to survive. Cubs can be separated from their mothers, often resulting in their death. National Marine Fisheries Service, federal agency, which is responsible for enforcing the Marine Mammal Protection Act, recommends a safe viewing distance of 15 to 30 meters.

Sea Elephant– animal. They are large and bulky on land, but excellent in the water: they can dive to depths of 2 kilometers and hold their breath underwater for up to 2 hours. Elephant seals move throughout the ocean and can swim vast distances in search of food. They fight for a place in the sun, but only the bravest achieve their goal.

Domain: Eukaryotes

Kingdom: Animals

Type: Chordata

Class: Mammals

Squad: Predatory

Family: Real seals

Genus: Elephant seals

Spreading

Large colonies of the southern elephant seal are located on the following subantarctic archipelagos and islands: South Georgia, Kerguelen, Heard, Macquarie. Outside mating season individual individuals can be found on the coasts South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Patagonia and Antarctica. These animals can cover sea distances of up to 4,800 km.

The northern elephant seal used to be distributed along the entire west coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California. In the 19th century, however, mass extermination of these animals began for the sake of blubber. Every year, thousands of elephant seals became victims of hunters and soon this species began to be considered extinct. Only one small colony of less than a hundred individuals survived on the Mexican island of Guadalupe. After her discovery, northern elephant seals were taken under protection.

In the 1930s, elephant seals came onto land to mate on California's Channel Islands. Northern elephant seals are now found on many islands along the western coast of the continent. In the north, their range reaches the Farallon Islands, and outside the mating season even to Vancouver Island.

The population increases by 15% every year and today this species is no longer seriously threatened. However, the fact that northern elephant seals have gone through a population bottleneck has resulted in extremely low genetic diversity among living individuals, which could become a serious problem under changing environmental conditions.

Description

Elephant seals (Mirounga) are the largest genus in the family of true seals, a class of mammals. There are two species of elephant seals, named according to the hemisphere in which they live.

The oldest confirmed fossils of these animals date back to the Pliocene era and were discovered in New Zealand. Only the adult male has a large trunk, similar to that of an elephant. The male uses it to roar during the mating season. Southern elephant seals are slightly larger than northern ones. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced, with males of both species being much larger than females. The average weight of an adult male of the southern species can be 3000 kg, and its body length can reach 5 m. An adult female weighs about 900 kg, and its body length is approximately 3 m. The color of the animal depends on gender, age and season. It may be rusty, light or dark brown, or gray. The elephant seal has a large body, short front flippers with toes, and webbed rear flippers. Under the skin there is a thick layer of fat that protects the animal in its cold environment. Every year, elephant seals molt. The average life expectancy is between 20 and 22 years.

Kinds

There are two types of elephant seals: Southern and Northern. The northern elephant seal reaches large sizes, its body length reaches five meters, weight – up to three and a half tons. Females are much inferior in weight and size to males: weight up to 900 kilograms, body length up to three meters. The color of such elephant seals is gray. They live on the Californian and Mexican islands and on the island of Guadeloupe. Offspring are born in January. Southern elephant seals are brown and slightly smaller than their cousins. They live in the waters of Antarctica, and give birth in October.

Northern elephant seal

Northern elephant seal(Mirounga angustirostris) is a species pinniped mammals from the family of True seals. The size of the male northern elephant seal reaches 6 m, and the female – more than 3 m. The name of this sea animal was given for big sizes and a nose, capable of swelling and then resembling a curled trunk.

Males are very different from females - they are almost twice as large, and during the breeding season they often flare out their noses to appear larger.

This huge pinniped, the northern elephant seal, is found on the Pacific coast of America from Alaska to Hudson Bay.

The northern elephant seal feeds on small sharks, fish, and squid. Elephant seals hatch in December and January so that the females can give birth. The males are the first to come ashore and defend the territory for their harem. Elephant seals form dense colonies on the shore. Elephant seals always have one baby in a litter. It is covered in black fur and remains on the shore for almost five months.

Southern elephant seal

The southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) is the largest seal species in the world. The trunk of the southern elephant seal is much shorter than that of its northern relative: its length is about 10 cm. This huge, enlarged nose is absent in females and young males. After constant growth, the trunk reaches full size by the eighth year of life and hangs above the mouth with the nostrils down. During the mating season, this trunk swells even more due to the increased blood flow. It happens that during fights, more aggressive male loppers tear each other's trunks to shreds. The differences in size between males and females are significant. The male can reach sizes of up to six and a half meters, and the female only three and a half meters. The weight of the male is up to three and a half tons, the female weighs a maximum of 900 kg.

Elephant seals' prey includes fish and cephalopods. Elephant seals are able to dive for prey to depths of up to 1400 m. This is possible due to their large mass and large blood volume, which can store a lot of oxygen. Like whales, activity internal organs in elephant seals, when diving to depth, it slows down, which reduces oxygen consumption. The natural enemies of elephant seals are white sharks and killer whales that hunt in the upper layers of water.

Lifestyle

Most Elephant seals spend their lives underwater, feeding on fish and shellfish. They are able to dive to a depth of about 1400 meters, holding their breath for more than two hours. At the same time, the activity of their internal organs slows down, which saves the necessary amount of oxygen. Their natural enemies are killer whales and white sharks waiting for long-nosed seals in the upper layers of the water.

Elephant seals come ashore only in the warm season in order to give birth to offspring and conceive new ones. For three whole months, huge colonies fill the coastal zones. Two to three dozen females give birth to babies under the protection of one male.

Fierce battles are fought for the harems, in which opponents are capable of inflicting serious injuries on each other. Every year, additional scars appear on the body of the strongest and largest males.

It is interesting that outwardly clumsy and clumsy elephant seals literally change before our eyes during fights. Sometimes they even stand up straight giant growth and, vigorously waving their straightened trunk and hindquarters, perform amazing pirouettes.

Young three- to four-year-old elephant seals are forced to lead a bachelor lifestyle - they are pushed out of the edges of the colony by their more mature eight-year-old brothers. Considering this state of affairs to be unfair, they from time to time try to break through to the “married” females, which leads to new fights.

In the harems their own seething family life. Each “wife” gives birth to one cub, about 80 cm long and weighing 20 kg. His mother feeds him nutritious milk for 4-5 weeks, after which he must fend for himself. Having left her, he remains on the shore for another month, extracting nutrients from the fat layer. During this period, molting occurs, after which the baby goes on its first voyage.

The female is ready for a new fertilization approximately a month after giving birth. Her pregnancy will last a long 11 months. Having conceived, she fattens up a little at sea, and then goes to bed for the post-nuptial molt. Mature males are the last to molt.

Interestingly, during this period, animals of all ages relax so much that you can approach them closely. The body of seals resembles spread jelly, they absolutely do not pay attention to what is happening around them. Having finished their “land” affairs, elephant seals go to the ocean.

Elephant seal feeding

Elephant seals feed on fish and cephalopods, which are caught in the open sea. Latest Research, conducted on the California coast, during which the diving depth of animals was measured, showed that elephant seals are capable of diving to depths of up to 1,000 m. They feed on marine animals, octopuses and even small sharks. Elephant seals have fairly long tusks that protrude from the gums by about four centimeters; The molars are poorly developed, so they prefer prey with a soft body that does not require thorough chewing.

Reproduction and lifespan

Immediately after molting, it is time for love in the life of elephants. From mid-winter to mid-spring, elephants fight, then breed, and raise their future offspring.

It all starts with the elephants crawling onto the shore. The female has been pregnant since last year. After all, this period covers eleven months. Male elephants have nothing to do with raising their offspring.

Having found a quiet, inconspicuous place, the mother gives birth to only one calf. He is born one meter tall and weighs up to forty kilograms. For a whole month, the mother elephant feeds the child only with her milk. Representatives of these individuals have the highest calorie content. Its fat content is fifty percent. The baby gains weight well during feeding. Afterwards, the mother leaves her child forever.

The offspring developed a sufficient layer of subcutaneous fat so that they could survive in the next adaptive, independent month of their life. At three months of age, children leave the rookeries and go to open waters.

As soon as the female leaves her child, a period of mating fights without rules begins. The largest and oldest elephants fight to the death for the right to become the sultan of their harem.

Elephants roar loudly at each other, inflate their trunks and wave them, in the hope that this will scare the opponent. Then powerful, sharp teeth come into play. The winner gathers the ladies around him. Some people have harems of three hundred females. And the victim, all wounded, goes to the edge of the rookery. He still finds his soul mate, without the authority of a hyper-male. It’s unfortunate, but during such fights, very often small children suffer and die; they are simply not noticed in battle and are trampled by adults.

Having gathered his women, the leader chooses his passion, menacingly placing his front flipper on her back. This is how he shows superiority over her. And if the lady is not inclined to meet, the male does not care about this circumstance. He climbs all his tons onto her back. Here resistance is already useless.

The sexually mature period begins in the younger generation already at the age of four in males. Females, from the age of two, are ready for mating. Over the course of ten years, female elephant seals can give birth to children. Then they get old. Elephant seals die at fifteen or twenty years of age.

1. The amazing ability of elephant seals is to sleep underwater. But how do animals manage to breathe at this time? After all, they have lungs, not gills!.. Scientists managed to figure out the secret of such underwater sleep. After five or ten minutes under water, the animal’s chest expands, but the nostrils remain tightly closed. As a result, the density of the body decreases and it floats up. At the surface of the water, the nostrils open and the animal inhales air for about three minutes. Then it sinks to the bottom again. The eyes remain closed all this time: the elephant is clearly sleeping.
2. Stones are commonly found in the elephant seal's stomach. Residents of the places where these animals live believe that the stones serve as ballast while the elephants dive under water. There are other explanations. For example, stones in the stomach can contribute to the grinding of food - whole swallowed fish and crustaceans.
3. Among the males, four groups can be clearly distinguished. The first - “teenage” - includes animals aged from one to six years, their size does not exceed three meters. They appear at the rookery in winter, especially after storms, with the obvious purpose of taking a break from swimming. These animals appear before anyone else to molt - in December (the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere), and then all other animals appear in order of seniority: the older they are, the later. The second, or “youthful” group is formed by animals aged from six to thirteen years, their size is from three to four and a half meters. They swim to the beach in the fall, soon after the females give birth to their cubs, but they do not engage in fights with older males and swim out to sea even before the start of the rut (after the cubs are weaned). Next age group- the so-called contenders. Such males, measuring from four and a half to six meters, with a proudly inflating trunk, are in a constantly aggressive mood and try to fight with the owners of the rookery - the owners of the “harems” - powerful old males, trying to take away some of the females from them. These old, experienced males make up the fourth age group.
4. Observations have shown that the same old and strong male dominates the “harem” throughout the entire breeding season, and younger and weaker males are often forced to give up their place to a rival that is superior in strength. Although male fights usually take place in the water, not far from the shore, panic also begins on the beach at this time - alarmed females scream, the cubs try to escape. Therefore, from “harems” where they are too often disturbed, females try to move to calmer “harems”.
5. The fight between males is an impressive spectacle. The rivals, having swam up to each other, rear up, rising about four meters above the shallow water, and freeze in this position for several minutes, reminiscent of stone sculptures of monsters. The animals emit a dull roar, their trunks swell menacingly, showering the enemy with a cascade of spray. After such a performance, the weaker enemy usually retreats backwards, continuing to roar threateningly, and, having moved to a safe distance, takes off running. The winner lets out a proud cry and, after making several false throws after the fugitive, calms down and returns to the beach.
6. No matter how terrifying such a battle may look from the outside, in most cases it does not lead to serious bloodshed. Usually everything is limited to mutual intimidation, terrifying roars and sniffles. The biological meaning of this behavior is clear: the strongest is identified, who will take on the functions of a producer during the mating season and, as a continuer of the clan, will pass on his offspring to his offspring. positive traits. At the same time, the weaker young male does not die on the battlefield and thus is not excluded from the further process of reproduction of the species.
7. Tall males do not always show aggressiveness towards humans. And it is not they, but the females that may turn out to be the most dangerous for a researcher who dares to penetrate into the very thick of the herd. John Warham, for example, more than once had to get acquainted with their sharp teeth and run away shamefully, leaving a good piece of his trouser leg as a souvenir to the angry elephant seal.
8. Having been born, the cub emits a short bark, reminiscent of a dog, and the mother responds in kind, sniffs it and thus remembers it. Subsequently, she will unmistakably distinguish him among many other cubs and will be able to return him if he tries to escape.
9. It is worth mentioning one of the most amazing adaptations of the animal body to the conditions of existence: the development of the embryo in the womb of the female is suspended during molting, and the embryo is, as it were, “preserved” for the entire unfavorable period of the animal’s life. (A similar phenomenon is observed in some other animals - many pinnipeds, as well as in sable, rabbit, kangaroo, etc.) The development of the embryo continues only in March, when the molting of females is already completed.
10. The molting elephant seal looks most deplorable: its old skin hangs on it in torn rags. First it comes off the muzzle, and then from the rest of the body. At the same time, the poor creatures scratch their sides and stomach with their flippers, trying to speed up this obviously unpleasant process for them. Shedding animals usually settle down in some moss-covered swamp, not far from the shore, and, restlessly tossing and turning, stir up the loose soil, turning it into a dirty mess. They plunge into it up to their nostrils. The stench around at this time is terrifying.

Video

Thoughtless human activity almost destroyed one of the curious species of animals - the elephant seal. They got their name not only for their enormous size (these animals) but also for their peculiar nasal growth. Thick and fleshy, it looks like an underdeveloped trunk. It is not used as a hand, like a real land elephant, but “works” as a resonator organ, several times increasing the sound of the roar.It also shows the surrounding relatives how formidable and powerful its owner is.

Description

The elephant seal is a pinniped, a family of true seals. They are even larger than walruses and are the largest in their class of predators. They are distinguished by their heavy build, very rough skin, covered with fur. The fat layer can account for up to 30% of an elephant’s live weight. Sexual dimorphism is very clearly expressed - the size of males significantly exceeds the size of females. Another difference is that females do not have a trunk. Two types are known: northern and southern.

The elephant seal is an excellent diver, can hold its breath for up to 2 hours and descend to a depth of almost two kilometers. Its speed of movement in water is up to 23 km/h. Their food is fish, shellfish, plankton, and cephalopods. Among the main enemies (besides humans) are killer whales and large sharks. On the shore, no one threatens them, so they are very carefree and can afford to sleep soundly, often with loud snoring. They move on land with difficulty, pulling up their carcass on their front flippers. In one such “throw” the animals cover a distance of no more than 35 cm.

Females reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years, males at 6-7 years. The breeding season is once a year. It begins with the fact that adult (from 8 years old) males are the first to swim to the rookery sites and occupy sections of the beach. Then the females arrive and, entering the “conquered” territory, automatically become members of the harem. There are sometimes up to 50 females per elephant (usually within 20). Fights over females can be very brutal. During an intense fight, the elephant seal rises to its full gigantic height, holding its body in an upright position on one tail. Young males (up to 8 years old) usually live on the periphery of the rookery and do not try to argue with the owners of the harems.

Pregnancy lasts 11 months. Typically, females begin giving birth 5-6 days after arriving on shore. Newborn cubs feed exclusively on mother's milk for 4-5 weeks. They are born weighing up to 50 kg, up to 120 cm long. After a month, they move to the outskirts of the rookery and after molting, at the age of 3-4 months, they go to sea. After feeding their babies, females are ready to mate.

Southern

Animal sizes: males - 6 meters in length, weight up to 4 tons, females are three times smaller. The southern elephant seal (photo in the text) has its own peculiarity: it has a clear division between rookeries. Some are used as “maternity wards”, others several hundred kilometers away are used for feeding. Islands - breeding sites:

• Kerguelen.
• Campbell.
• Crozet.
• Macquarie.
• Morion.
• Tierra del Fuego.
• Auckland.
• Prince Edward.
• Falkland.
• Hurd.
• South Georgia.
• South Orkney.
• South Sandwich.
• South Shetland.

The mating period is from September to November. Today the total number of animals is up to 700,000 heads.

Northern

The northern relative differs little in lifestyle. Mating occurs in February. It has permanent rookeries where the elephant seal comes to breed and moult. The mainland (west coast of North America) from Mexico to Canada with pebble beaches or gently sloping rocky shores has long been favored by water giants. It is smaller in size than its southern brother; males grow up to 5 meters, their weight ranges between 2.5 tons. They have a large trunk up to 30 cm, in an excited state it increases to 70 cm. Females weigh up to 900 kg, body length up to 3.5 meters.

It was the northern elephant seals that bore the brunt of extermination. After strict measures to ban fishing, their population has now grown to 15 thousand individuals. Not bad at all, considering there were about a hundred of them left.

Elephant seals are real giants; they are the largest carnivores. They belong to real seals and are somewhat similar to hooded seals, although they are significantly larger in size. In nature, there are 2 types of elephant seals: southern and northern.

Since the southern elephant seal is quite impressive in size, most people think that this is why the animal is called an elephant. In fact, their name comes from a fleshy growth on the nose that resembles a trunk, although the size of such a “trunk” does not exceed 10 centimeters. Females do not have such a distinctive feature.

Southern elephant seals

The elephant seal can reach 5 meters in length and weigh up to 2.5 tons. True, females are much smaller - only up to 3 meters, weighing less than a ton. The southern elephant seal differs from other types of seals in its large amount of subcutaneous fat - more than 35%. The growth on the nose is used as an element during mating fights. The animal's skin is rough and thick, covered with thick fur. Young animals are silver-gray in color, adults are brown.

The habitat of this subspecies is the subantarctic islands and the shores of Patagonia. Individuals rarely seen alone, their favorite pastime is to form huge rookeries on pebble beaches.

Interesting Facts:

• The southern elephant seal is larger than its northern neighbor - some individuals can reach 4 tons.
• They can remain in water for a long time - more than 20 minutes. The documented record for an animal being under water without a break was 2 hours.
• The maximum depth to which animals dive is almost 1.5 kilometers.
• They spend most of their lives in the ocean. They come to land during the breeding and molting season, for 3-5 weeks a year.

Females and males differ in the presence of a trunk and weight. At the same time, they have a lot in common: short front fins, a similar body type, a strong rear fin. Scars are often observed around the neck of animals, which they receive in battles during mating.

Features of life

Eating southern elephants crabs, fish and shrimp. Males obtain food for themselves in the waters of the continental shelf, and females go out to the open sea.

Reproduction:

1. During the breeding and molting season, southern elephant seals most often arrive at the place where they were born. Several weeks before the females leave the water, the males fight for territory. Moreover, each of them must conquer and protect a certain rookery for a long time. He goes without food, which leaves him exhausted by the end of the mating period. Therefore, only the strongest alpha males remain, each of whom mates with dozens of females.
2. Most females stay at the rookery pregnant, give birth to offspring here, and some time after that they are again ready to mate. As a rule, one cub is born. In rare cases there may be two.
3. A newborn southern elephant seal is about a meter long and weighs 25-50 kg. The mother stays with the baby for 23 days, after which mating occurs and the baby is weaned. At this time he already weighs about 120 kg.
4. After this, the female goes into the ocean, and the young individuals unite in groups. For several weeks they live by using subcutaneous fat. In the end, they begin their journey to the ocean hungry. They learn to swim and get their own food on their own.
5. At 3 years of age, females reach sexual maturity, and by 6 years of age they participate in the annual mating cycle. Males begin to compete for women only at 10 years of age. Pregnancy lasts 11 months, with a life expectancy of about 20 years.

Northern elephant seal

This subspecies lives on the west coast of America, where it is considered a tourist attraction. Locals they are valued for the fact that they attract tourists en masse. Now elephant seals are protected by law. Until recently, they were exterminated so en masse that the species has almost disappeared. It was even considered extinct for some time. However, it turned out that only one colony survived, which lived on the Mexican island of Guadalupe. After the hunting ban, the number of individuals increased sharply. Now the rate of population increase is up to 15% annually. Today the species is no longer under serious threat of extinction.

In their nature Killer whales and sharks are considered enemies. During the rutting season, males die from fatal wounds. At the same time a large number of young animals die under the carcasses of adult individuals.

The northern elephant seal differs from the southern elephant seal in that sexual dimorphism is less pronounced. However, the trunk of males is larger - it reaches 30 centimeters in length.

The elephant seal is a very interesting animal that refers to seals. The southern subspecies is much larger, since the northern one was exterminated for a long time, which almost led to the complete extinction of the animal. The southern representative of the species is slightly larger than the northern one and is the largest carnivorous mammal.