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Big Man on Campus: The Elephant Seal

Big Man on Campus: The Elephant Seal

Written by Leisure Pro Staff
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Published on August 10, 2014

Elephant seals are the largest and most recognizable seals on the planet. The “elephant” part of its name comes from the impressive snout of the mature males, which can sometimes reach the astonishing size of two feet! The female elephant seal has a much more petite nose.

Northern seals live along the Pacific coast from Baja California to Vancouver, Canada. Females are a svelte 900 – 1,800 lbs, while males reach upwards of 5,000 lbs. Southern seals, which are even larger with males hitting 6000 lbs., frequent the waters around the Antarctic ice pack.

For most of the year, elephant seals are solitary animals, traversing thousands of miles of ocean in search of food. But they return back to their rookery twice a year to molt, breed, give birth and rest. The rookery is a hive of noise and activity. Unlike humans, who are constantly shedding dead skin cells and replacing them with new skin, the seals molt their entire top layer of skin — including the hair — once a year.

The females return to the rookery after an 11-month pregnancy to give birth to babies weighing about 60 lbs. The female elephant seal’s milk has the highest concentration of milk fat in the mammalian world. The babies nurse voraciously for about a month, and then the bulls come calling.

Males battle for dominance and the right to breed with a harem of 40 female seals. Bulls bare large canines and snort and trumpet with their giant noses trying to intimidate each other. The noise is thunderous. If the bellowing doesn’t work, males will fight each other in violent and often bloody confrontations. They rarely end in death, but the battles can be gruesome to watch.

Like most marine mammals, the elephant seal is extremely intelligent. The babies and juveniles can be very curious towards humans. Most adults don’t take much interest in humans, but it’s wise to avoid adult males and stay away from protective mothers.

The elephant seal is a fascinating animal. Watching them sunning themselves in a rookery is captivating and catching a glimpse of them in action under the water is a sight to behold.

Leisure Pro Staff

Leisure Pro Staff

Marketing Director for LeisurePro