Any schoolchild knows that it is very rash to trust the "sea" names of animals: sea lions have nothing to do with lions, Sea Horses- to horses, and sea urchins- to the hero of the famous cartoon, lost in the fog. Elephant seals are no exception. What they have in common with elephants is their outstanding size (these are the largest of marine mammals, not counting whales) and a long, movable nose resembling a trunk.
In fact, the elephant seals that live in the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic belong to the family of real seals, which is part of the order predatory mammals... It is curious that 20 years ago it was written in biology textbooks that elephant seals, along with all other seals and walruses, make up a separate order of mammals - pinnipeds (although many scientists have long expressed their doubts about this).
Since taxonomy biological species built on an evolutionary basis, it was understood that all pinnipeds have a common ancestor. But the successes of paleontology and genetics have convincingly proved that it is impossible to single out pinnipeds in a separate order. It turned out that out of the three families traditionally included in this detachment, two - eared seals and walruses - descend from ancient bears, and the third - real seals - from martens. Moreover, even the transition to an aquatic lifestyle happened in their different ends lands: the first "went into the water" on the Pacific coast, the second - in the Mediterranean Sea. And they became similar to each other only due to the same living conditions. So the closest terrestrial relatives elephant seals are badgers, wolverines, martens and ferrets.
Manatees and dugongs have much more rights to be called elephant seals. They are indeed close relatives of elephants. But, ironically, their largest representative (alas, recently extinct) was called a sea, or Steller's, cow.
But back to our elephant seals. These animals are remarkable not only for their outstanding size, but also for the so-called sexual dimorphism, that is, a pronounced difference between males and females. According to this indicator, they seem to confidently rank first among mammals. Thus, male elephant seals often reach a length of 6.5 m and a weight of 3.5 tons, while females grow to a maximum of 3.5 m and 900 kg, respectively. If people had the same sexual dimorphism, then one-meter-eighty youths would walk down the street with their twenty-kilogram girlfriends less than one meter tall. No hairpins would have helped.
Not surprisingly, with such differences, the herd of elephant seals is a society of solid male dominance. Strong adult males capture in their harems from a dozen (in northern species) up to a hundred (in the southern) females and jealously guard them from the encroachments of their less successful rivals. Offering the lady his hand and heart, the male puts a flipper on her back and gently bites her on the back of the head. However, if the lady is not in the mood, the male does not stop before the banal rape. Having pressed her to the ground with his carcass, he does everything he needs with his chosen one, not being particularly interested in her consent. Elephant seals are one of the few members of the animal kingdom to practice domestic violence.
As for the "trunk" of an elephant seal, despite its external resemblance to a real elephant trunk, it is not used as a working tool. A long nose is present only in males and is used to attract females and scare off other males. Firstly, it serves as a sound resonator: the roar of an elephant seal, like its land namesake, can be heard from miles away. Secondly, during the mating period, due to the rush of blood, the nose swells up to it and reddens a little, which, no doubt, should attract females, and at the same time demonstrate to other males who is the boss. Therefore, in constant fights with each other, males strive first of all to damage the opponent's trunk, often tearing it to pieces.
The elephant seals did not quite reach the championship title in such a sport as diving. Reportedly, they dive to a depth of almost one and a half kilometers for prey! Of mammals, only a few whales dive deeper - up to two kilometers. The secret lies in the ability of elephant seals to control their circulation. When they are immersed in water, the blood supply to most muscles and internal organs almost stops, and oxygen from the blood enters only the brain and heart. Therefore, elephant seals know how to stay under water for a long time.
Elephant seals ( Mirounga) is the largest genus in the family of true seals,. There are two types of elephant seals, named according to the hemisphere in which they live. Northern elephant seals ( Mirounga angustirostris) are found in coastal waters around Canada and Mexico, and southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina) are common off the coast of New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.
Description
The oldest confirmed fossils of these animals are from and were found in New Zealand.
Only an adult male has big trunk, Looks like . The male uses it to roar during the mating season.
Southern elephant seals are slightly larger than northern elephant seals. pronounced, males of both species are much larger than females. Average weight adult male southern view can be 3000 kg, and the body length reaches 5 m. An adult female weighs about 900 kg, and her body length is about 3 m.
The color of the animal depends on sex, age and season. It can be rusty, light or dark brown, or gray.
The elephant seal has a large body, short toe-footed front flippers, and webbed hind flippers. There is a thick layer of fat under the skin that protects the animal in cold weather. Every year, elephant seals molt.
Average duration life is 20 to 22 years.
Reproduction
Elephant seals are solitary animals. They return to the established nesting colonies every winter. Females become sexually mature at the age of 3 to 6 years, and males at 5-6 years.
However, males must reach alpha status for mating, which usually occurs between the ages of 9 and 12. Males fight each other using body weight and teeth. While deaths are rare, injuries are common. An alpha male's harem ranges from 30 to 100 females. Other males are found at the edges of the colony, sometimes mating with females before alpha males chase them. Males remain on land during the winter to defend territory.
About 79% of adult females mate, but only more than half of them produce offspring. The gestation period lasts about 11 months, at the end of which one cub appears. The female's milk contains an extremely high percentage of fat, over 50% (compared to 4% for women). Females do not eat for one month to feed the young. The next pairing occurs during last days feeding.
Nutrition and behavior
Elephant seals are mammals. Their diet includes squid, octopus, eels, fish, krill, and sometimes. Males hunt at the bottom, and females in open ocean... Elephant seals use the sight and vibration of their whiskers (vibrissae) to find food. They can attack sharks, killer whales and humans.
These animals spend about 20% of their life on land and about 80% in the ocean. Although they are, elephant seals are capable of outperforming humans on land. At sea, they develop at a speed of 5-10 km / h.
Elephant seals can dive on great depths... Males spend more time underwater than females. An adult male is able to stay under water for about two hours and dive to a depth of about 2 km.
Conservation status
Elephant seals were hunted for their meat, fur, and fat. Poaching has led to the fact that the species were on the verge of extinction. By 1892, most people believed the northern elephant seals were extinct. But in 1910, near the island of Guadalupe off the coast Mexican state Baja California has a single breeding colony. In the late 19th century, new conservation legislation was introduced marine environment to protect these animals. Elephant seals are no longer endangered today, although they are at risk of becoming entangled in debris and fishing nets, and may also be injured in collisions with watercraft. They are listed by the IUCN as the animals of Least Concern.
- Scientists have determined that when warm temperature water, more males are born than females.
- The screeching of orcs in the Moria mines in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was the sound of baby elephant seals.
- In 2000, a male elephant seal named Homer terrorized the New Zealand city of Gisborne. Homer attacked cars, boat trailers, garbage bins, trees and even a transformer.
Elephant seals (lat. Mirounga) is a genus of the largest carnivorous mammals from the family of real seals, owing its name to the long trunk-like nose of males. With the help of this "trunk" the male gives a signal of danger or informs about the conquest of his own harem.
Elephant seals spend most of 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 required amount oxygen. Their natural enemies are and, waiting for long-nosed seals in the upper layers of the water.
Elephant seals go to the shore only in the warm season in order to give birth to offspring and conceive a new one. For three whole months, huge colonies fill coastal zones... Two to three dozen females give birth to babies under the auspices of one male.
Fierce battles are being waged for harems, in which opponents are capable of inflicting serious injuries on each other. Additional scars appear on the body of the strongest and largest males every year.
Interestingly, outwardly clumsy and clumsy elephant seals literally change before our eyes during fights. Sometimes they even straighten up to their full gigantic growth and, vigorously waving a straightened trunk and rear end bodies, make striking pirouettes.
Young three-four-year-old elephant seals are forced to lead a bachelor lifestyle - they are forced out of the colony by their more mature eight-year-old brothers. Considering this state of affairs unfair, they from time to time try to break through to "married" females, which leads to new fights.
In the harems, their own family life... Each "wife" gives birth to one cub about 80 cm long and weighing 20 kg. Mother feeds him nutritious milk 4-5 weeks, after which he must take care of himself. After leaving it, he is on the shore for another month, extracting nutrients from the fat layer. During this period, molt occurs, after which the baby goes on his first voyage.
The female is ready for a new fertilization approximately one month after giving birth. Her pregnancy will last 11 long months. Having conceived, she fattens a little in the sea, and then fits into the post-nuptial molt. The last to molt are sexually mature males.
Interestingly, during this period, animals of all ages relax so much that you can come close to them. The body of the seals resembles spreading jelly, they absolutely do not pay attention to what is happening around. Having finished their "land" affairs, elephant seals leave for the ocean.
There are two known species of these mammals - the northern and southern elephant seals. The first are found on the islands along the west coast North America... They are slightly smaller than their southern cousins. Males weigh 2.7 tons with a body length of almost 5 m. Their trunk reaches 30 cm, which is much larger than that of the "southerners".
Southern elephant seals congregate in colonies on subantarctic archipelagos and islands such as Kerguelen, Macquarie, Heard and South Georgia. Some individuals are found on the coasts of Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. The weight of the largest males can reach 3.5 tons, and the body length is 6.5 m. Females of both species are half the size of their partners.
Families of real seals ( Phocidae), including the most major representatives detachment of predatory mammals. They owe their name to the proboscis nose of males and large dimensions... Despite the fact that elephant seals are real seals, in their behavior and some other characteristics, they are more reminiscent of eared seals. There are two species very similar to each other - the northern elephant seal ( Mirounga angustirostris (Gill, 1866)), which lives on the west coast of North America, and the southern elephant seal ( Mirounga leonina Linnaeus, 1758) living in Antarctica.
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External signs
The huge, enlarged nose is absent in females and young males. After constant growth trunk reaches full sizes to the eighth year of life and hangs over the mouth with the nostrils down. During the mating season, this trunk swells even more due to the increased flow of blood. It happens that during fights, more aggressive male-burgers tear each other's trunks to shreds. Differences in size between males and females are significant: the male can reach sizes up to six and a half meters, and the female - only three and a half meters.
Behavior
During mating season, elephant seals, usually leading single image life, going to large colonies. The ratio of males to females is approximately one to ten, sometimes even one to twenty. For possession of a harem between males comes to tough fights. Weaker or younger males are pushed to the edges of the colony, where less favorable conditions for mating. However, they are constantly trying to penetrate the center, which every now and then leads to new fights. Under the protection of the dominant male, fertilized females give birth to their offspring, conceived a year earlier. They take care of the young for several weeks before mating with the male again.
If the male wants to mate with the female, he puts one of his front fins on her and bites her on the back of the head. After that, copulation begins. If the female resists, the male crawls onto her and makes it impossible to move under the pressure of his weight. Constant fights and fierce competition lead to the fact that the cubs are crushed by mature males. Every year from this dies a large number of young animals. Elephant seals reach sexual maturity at the age of three to four years. However, males become strong enough to defend their own harem only at the age of eight. Mating in more early age it is unlikely for them. Due to numerous battles, the average life span of males is lower than that of females, and is only 14 years. Females live an average of four years longer.
Nutrition
The prey of elephant seals is fish and cephalopods. Elephant seals are able to dive for prey to a depth of 1400 m. This is possible thanks to their large mass and a large blood volume capable of storing a lot of oxygen. As with whales, the activity of internal organs in elephant seals slows down during diving, which reduces oxygen consumption. Natural enemies elephant seals are
Elephant seals are giants from the family of true seals. They are very similar to hooded seals, but are much larger in size. There are only 2 types of elephant seals in nature: northern and southern.
They justify their name 100%. They are so huge that apart from the elephants they cannot be compared with anyone else.
They grow up to 5 meters in length and weigh up to 2.5 tons!
Females are somewhat smaller than their "men". They rarely grow more than 3 meters. The elephant seal is distinguished from other representatives of real seals by the amount of subcutaneous fat. They can accumulate it in astronomical proportions. Fat can be 35% of the total weight.
They also look like elephants because of the fleshy outgrowth on the nose. Of course, this is not a full-fledged elephant trunk, but in comparison, this detail is not at all important.
This "tool" is used as a resonator during menacing roars, and as a frightening element during mating games.
Females do not have such an attribute of masculinity.
The skin of an elephant seal, as befits an elephant, is rough and thick. It is covered with short, thick fur. Adults are all brown. The young are silvery gray.
Southern elephant seals live on the shores of Patagonia and on the subantarctic islands. The northern ones took a fancy to the North American shores, spreading from Mexico and California to Canada. Elephant seals are rarely seen alone. They form huge rookeries on pebble beaches.
Elephant seals form two types of rookeries. On one, they "build" eyes at each other. This is what these rookeries are called - feeding grounds.
And then there are breeding grounds. There, the females produce offspring and raise the young. This state of affairs is very wise. Elephant seals are very clumsy on land. With their weight, they can simply destroy all young growth. Therefore, maternity hospitals and Kindergarten are located several hundred kilometers from the feeding beach.
Elephant seals feed on molluscs. Sometimes they can eat with a small fish.
These animals are very calm and lethargic. But! If you get the opportunity to contemplate them firsthand - do not test their patience for too long!
Cubs are born once a year. Mating season starts in August-September, when on southern hemisphere spring begins.
First, adult males and females arrive at the beach. Young animals arrive a little later. Males begin to divide the beach, taking their own pieces of territory. They zealously guard their "grooves" of the beach from other males. If necessary, they engage in battle with each other. The males inflate their proboscis, roar menacingly and bite each other until they are bloody and severely injured. What can I say ... Love is evil.
The female becomes someone's simply by coming to the territory of this male. Once you have come, then you need to mate. Unless, of course, her opponent takes her away.
Some males manage to form a large harem of females. There can be up to 30 representatives of the fairer sex. Pregnancy lasts up to 11 months. The most interesting thing is that the mating season just falls on the birthing season.
Having fed her offspring with milk for only one month, mommy is in a hurry to conceive again. Babies, by the way, at birth they weigh up to 30 kilograms, leave the rookery, and wait a couple more months until the molt has passed. At this time, they practically do not eat anything, and are alive only because mother's milk is an explosive mixture of proteins and carbohydrates, frantic in calories. Sucked out and deposited in subcutaneous fat for a month is enough to maintain strength for another 2 months.
Elephant seals are considered enemies in nature
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