Elephant Seal

ELEPHANT SEAL

There are two species of elephant seal living in the southern and northern hemisphere respectively. This southern elephant seal, M. leonina, is found in Antarctic waters, while the northern species, M. angustirotris, live on islands off California and Mexico.

HABITS

With the exception of breeding season, elephant seals come ashore only to shed their skin, a process known as molting. In late summer, hundreds of seal gather on beaches and wallow in muddy pools of water. They lie close to gather while they gradually shed patches of hair and skin. Eventually, the old skin replaced by a new coat of sleek fur, and the seal return to water.

BREEDING

The male elephant seal's giant snout resembles an elephant trunk, which gives the seal its name

Male elephant seal arrived at breeding beaches a few weeks before the females to establish territories. The competition among the males is fierce: they engage in bloody fight to claim territories where females are likely to congregate.

Pups triple their birth weight in four weeks. Their wooly fur is then shed to reveal a sleek, gray coat.

Shortly after the females arrive at the breeding colony, they give birth to single pups conceived in the previous mating season. The females are not ready to mate again until theirs pups are weaned four weeks later. Many larger males attempt to mate with the females too soon after they gives birth; many female are injured, and 10 percent of the pups are killed.

FOOD & HUNTING

The female range between a
third and one-half the size of a full-grown male. Her smaller size puts her at great risk of injury during the breeding season

Elephant seals feed primarily on fish and squid. Until recently, very little was known about their hunting behavior; recent studies have shown that they make extraordinarily deep dives water they catch bottom-dwelling prey.

Although elephant seals have long caning teeth, only thee inch-long tips protrude through the gums. This and their dull molars make it difficult for them to feed on anything but soft-bodied prey,

SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS
	Originally land animals, elephant seals have adapted to life in the sea by developing a thick layer of insulating fat, called blubber, that keeps them warm. The blubber also serves as a reserve store of food. Elephant seals move gracefully in the water. They propel themselves with their fins and use their forelimbs to change direction. On land, they use their forelimbs to move across the beach.

KEY FACTS

Size: Length: Southern males, 16 ft,; females, 10 ft. Northern makes, 14 ft.; females, 10 ft.
Weight: Southern males 5300 lb.; females, 1,500lb.. Northern males, 5,00 lb.; females, 2,000 lb.
Breeding: Sexual maturity: 3-5 years.
Breeding season: Southern species, September to October. Northern species, December to January.
Gestation: 11 months.
Litter size: 1 pup.
Lifestyle: Habit: Social during breeding.
Diet: Fish and squid
Call: Roar. Growl. Or purr.
Lifespan: Up to 14 years.

RELATED SPECIES

The Northern M. angustirotris and southern elephant M. Leonina seals are the only species.