Elephant seals (Mirounga) is the largest genus in the family of true seals, . There are two types 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 they were discovered 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 ones. expressed, males of both species are much larger than females. Average weight adult male 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 can 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 cold weather. Every year, elephant seals molt.
The average life expectancy is between 20 and 22 years.
Reproduction
Elephant seals are solitary animals. They return to established breeding 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 to mate, which usually occurs between 9 and 12 years of age. Males fight each other using their body mass and teeth. While deaths are rare, injuries are common. The alpha male's harem consists of 30 to 100 females. Other males hang around the edges of the colony, sometimes mating with females before the alpha males pursue 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 calf appears. A female's milk contains an extremely high percentage of fat, over 50% (compared to 4% fat in female milk). Females do not eat for one month to nurse their young. The next mating occurs within last days feeding.
Nutrition and behavior
Elephant seals are mammals. Their diet includes squid, octopus, eels, fish, krill, and sometimes. Males hunt on the bottom, while females hunt in the open ocean. Elephant seals use vision and the vibration of their whiskers to find food. They can attack sharks, killer whales and people.
These animals spend about 20% of their lives on land and about 80% in the ocean. Although they are animals, elephant seals are capable of outpacing humans on land. In the sea they reach a speed of 5-10 km/hour.
Elephant seals can dive great depths. Males spend more time underwater than females. An adult male is capable of staying under water for about two hours and diving to a depth of about 2 km.
Security status
Elephant seals were hunted for their meat, fur, and fat. Poaching has brought species to the brink of extinction. By 1892, most people believed that northern elephant seals were extinct. But in 1910, near the island of Guadalupe off the coast mexican state A single breeding colony was found in Baja California. At the end of the 19th century, new conservation legislation was introduced marine environment to protect these animals. Today, elephant seals are no longer endangered, although they are at risk of becoming entangled in garbage and fishing nets, and can also be injured by collisions with watercraft. The IUCN lists them as Least Concern animals.
- Scientists have determined that when warm temperature water, more males are born than females.
- The screeching of the orcs in the mines of Moria 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.
Any schoolchild knows that it is very reckless to trust the “sea” names of animals: sea lions have nothing to do with lions, Sea Horses- to horses, and sea urchins- to a famous cartoon character who got lost in the fog. Elephant seals are no exception. What they have in common with elephants is their outstanding size (they are the largest marine mammals, not counting whales) and a long movable nose, reminiscent of a trunk.
In fact, elephant seals, living in the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, belong to the family of true seals, which is part of the order carnivorous mammals. It is curious that 20 years ago it was written in biology textbooks that elephant seals, along with all other seals and walruses, constitute 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 assumed that all pinnipeds have a common ancestor. But the successes of paleontology and genetics have convincingly proven that pinnipeds cannot be classified as a separate order. It turned out that of the three families traditionally included in this order, two - eared seals and walruses - come from ancient bears, and the third - true 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 of 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 the sea, or Steller's, cow.
But let's return to our elephant seals. These animals are remarkable not only for their outstanding size, but also for their so-called sexual dimorphism, that is, a pronounced difference between males and females. According to this indicator, they seem to confidently occupy first place 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 young men who are one meter tall would be walking down the street with their twenty-kilogram girlfriends who are less than a meter tall. No hairpins would help here.
With such differences, it is not surprising that the elephant seal herd is a society of complete male dominance. Strong adult males take into their harems from a dozen (about northern type) up to a hundred (in the southern) females and jealously guard them from the attacks of their less fortunate rivals. Offering his hand and heart to the lady, the male places his 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 at banal rape. Having pressed her to the ground with his carcass, he does whatever is necessary with his chosen one, not particularly interested in her consent. Elephant seals are one of the few representatives of the animal kingdom that practice domestic violence.
As for the “trunk” of the elephant seal, it, despite its external resemblance to a real elephant trunk, is not used as a working tool. A long nose is present only in males and is used to attract females and scare away other males. Firstly, it serves as a sound resonator: the roar of the elephant seal, like its land namesake, can be heard for many kilometers. Secondly, during the mating period, the nose, due to the rush of blood to it, swells and turns a little red, which, without a doubt, should attract females, and at the same time demonstrate to other males who is boss. Therefore, in constant fights among themselves, males strive first of all to damage the enemy’s trunk, often literally tearing it to shreds.
Elephant seals fell just short of the championship title in the sport of diving. According to reports, they dive for prey to depths of almost one and a half kilometers! Among mammals, only some whales dive deeper - up to two kilometers. The secret lies in the ability of elephant seals to control their blood circulation. When they are submerged 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 are able to stay under water for a long time.
Elephant seals are pinnipeds from the family of true seals. In their order, these animals are the largest and exceed the size of the well-known walruses. The closest relative of elephant seals is the hooded seal, with which they share common features. There are 2 types of elephant seals - northern and southern.
Male northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris).
Elephant seals did not get their name by chance; they really are animals. gigantic sizes. The body length of male southern elephant seals can reach up to 5 m and weight up to 2.5 tons! Females are much smaller and reach a length of “only” 3 m. Elephant seals differ from other seals in their overall heavy build and big amount subcutaneous fat. The weight of the fat layer can be 30% of the total weight of the animal.
Penguins next to a southern elephant seal give an idea of the animal's size.
In addition to their size, elephant seals have another feature that makes them look like real elephants. The males of these animals have a thick, fleshy outgrowth on their nose, similar to a short trunk. During the mating season, the trunk is used for decoration, intimidation and as a resonator, enhancing the menacing roar.
Male northern elephant seals during a mating fight.
Females do not have a trunk.
Female northern elephant seal.
The skin of elephant seals is thick and rough like that of a walrus, but covered with short, thick fur like that of real seals. Adult elephant seals are brown in color, while juveniles are silver-gray.
Juvenile southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina).
Geographically, both species are also separated: southern elephant seals live on the coast of Patagonia and the subantarctic islands, and northern ones live on the west coast North America- from Mexico and California to Canada. Both species prefer to settle on pebble beaches and gently sloping rocky coasts. Elephant seals, unlike other seals, form fairly large rookeries, numbering up to a thousand individuals.
A female southern elephant seal at a rookery.
Interestingly, southern elephant seals have two types of rookeries - for breeding and for feeding. Feeding rookeries are several hundred kilometers away from the “maternity hospitals,” so elephant seals regularly migrate. These animals feed mainly on cephalopods, and less often on fish. In general, elephant seals are quite calm and even apathetic animals. Because of his heavy weight on land they are clumsy and behave sluggishly.
The breeding season occurs only once a year and begins in August-October (in the Southern Hemisphere this is spring). Mature males and females are the first to arrive at the maternity rookeries, and the young arrive a little later. During the mating season, males transform beyond recognition. If at normal times they simply sleep on the shore, then during the rut they lose peace and sleep. Each male occupies a certain area of the beach and does not allow other males onto it. When competition increases, opponents converge in a fierce battle. They roar loudly, puff up their noses and funny shake them in the air to intimidate the enemy. But it looks funny only to an outside observer because the males themselves, in fights, bite each other until they bleed and often inflict severe injuries on their opponents.
Male southern elephant seals in a bloody duel.
And the whole point is that every female entering a male’s territory becomes his chosen one and mates with him (unless, of course, she is beaten off by an opponent). This is how males form harems of 10-30 females around themselves. Pregnancy lasts 11 months, so birth and mating occur almost simultaneously. Females give birth to one large baby, the “baby” weighs 20-30 kg! Baby elephant seals are born black. Their mothers feed them milk for a little over a month, after which the young move to the periphery of the rookery and do not enter the water for several more weeks. All this time, the cubs live off the reserves of subcutaneous fat accumulated during feeding with milk. After some time, the animals molt, after which they leave the breeding grounds.
Elephant seal during molting.
Despite their large size, many elephant seals (primarily young ones) die in the jaws of killer whales and sharks. Sometimes males die from wounds and general exhaustion during the rut; in addition, adult males often crush their cubs in the cramped rookery. In general, these animals are not very fertile, and their numbers have been greatly undermined by fishing. Previously, hunting for elephant seals was carried out for the sake of rendered fat (up to 400 kg from one male!), meat and skins. The fishery has now ceased, but the number of northern elephant seals is still low.
Yawning elephant seal.
Including the largest representatives of the order of predatory mammals. They owe their name to the trunk-shaped nose of males and large dimensions. Despite the fact that elephant seals are true seals, in their behavior and some other characteristics they are more reminiscent of eared seals. There are two very similar species - the northern elephant seal, which lives on the west coast of North America, and the southern elephant seal, which lives in Antarctica.
Appearance
Elephant seals did not get their name by chance; these animals are truly gigantic in size. The body length of male southern elephant seals can reach up to 5 m and weight up to 2.5 tons! Females are much smaller and reach a length of “only” 3 m. Elephant seals differ from other seals in their overall heavy build and large amount of subcutaneous fat. The weight of the fat layer can be 30% of the total weight of the animal.
In addition to their size, elephant seals have another feature that makes them look like real elephants. The males of these animals have a thick, fleshy outgrowth on their nose, similar to a short trunk. During the mating season, the trunk is used for decoration, intimidation and as a resonator, enhancing the menacing roar.
Features of behavior
Most Elephant seals spend their lives underwater, feeding on fish and shellfish. They are able to dive to a depth of about 140 meters, holding their breath for more than two hours. At the same time, the activity of their internal organs slows down, which allows saving required amount oxygen. Their natural enemies There are also white sharks waiting for long-nosed seals in the upper layers of 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.
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.
Species and habitat
There are two known species of these - northern and southern elephant seals. The former are found on islands along the west coast of North America. They are slightly smaller than their southern relatives. 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 gather in colonies on subantarctic archipelagos and islands such as Kerguelen, Macquarie, Heard and South Georgia. Individual individuals are found on the coasts of Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. The weight of the largest males can reach 3.5 tons, and body length - 6.5 m. Females of both species are half the size of their partners.
Reproduction
Animals begin to arrive at the rookeries at the beginning of spring. This is the end of August - the first ten days of September (in southern hemisphere summer begins in December, and winter in June). First, pregnant females appear on the rocky shores. The males arrive later. Fights immediately begin between them. Sometimes they turn into whole bloody battles, since elephant seals have quite powerful front fangs.
In the end, everything calms down, and each male finds a harem. It can include 10 females, or a hundred. It all depends on the strength and aggression of the male. The birth of babies occurs in September and October. Females crawl away to give birth in secluded places. The cub is born alone. Its body length reaches up to a meter, and its weight is 25-30 kg.
The mother feeds the baby with milk for a month. Then she returns to the male and becomes pregnant again. The gestation period is 11 months, that is, almost a year. The baby is left alone. He is already getting married without his mother's supervision. When he is 3 months old, he swims away with his peers in open ocean. After molting, at the end of February, adult animals leave the rookery until next spring. Sexual maturity in males occurs at 4 years, in females at 2 years. The female gives birth every year for 10-12 years. These animals live on average 20 years.
Another enemy is man. In past centuries, he mercilessly destroyed harmless animals for their fat. From one killed elephant seal they received at least 500 kg of valuable product. Nowadays, fishing for these is prohibited. In this regard, their number has increased. The number of southern elephant seals today is 750 thousand. At least 250 thousand animals live on the island of South Georgia, and the same number on the Kerguelen Islands. These are the largest rookeries of huge seals, which they share with penguins.
The belonging of elephant seals to true seals today is indisputable, but their position within this taxon is often the subject of debate. King hypothesized in 1983 that elephant seals are most closely related to the monk seal genus and that both genera represent the most ancient forms of true seals. In 1996, Binida-Emodnes and Russell could not find evidence for such a close relationship, but they confirmed the basic position of elephant seals in the taxonomy of true seals.
Elephant seals are giants from the family of true seals. They are very similar to hooded seals, but are significantly larger in size. In nature, there are only 2 species of elephant seals: northern and southern.
They justify their name 100%. They are so huge that they cannot be compared with anyone other than elephants.
They grow up to 5 meters in length and weigh up to 2.5 tons!
Females are somewhat smaller than their male counterparts. They rarely grow more than 3 meters. What distinguishes the elephant seal from other representatives of true seals is the amount of subcutaneous fat. They can accumulate it in astronomical amounts. Fat can make up 35% of the total mass.
They also look like elephants because of the fleshy growth on their nose. Of course, this is not a full-fledged elephant trunk, but in comparison this detail is not unimportant.
This “instrument” is used as a resonator for menacing roars, and as an intimidating element during the mating season.
Females do not have such an attribute of masculinity.
The skin of the elephant seal, as befits an elephant, is rough and thick. It is covered with short thick fur. Adults are all brown in color. The young are silver-gray.
Southern elephant seals live on the shores of Patagonia and on the sub-Antarctic islands. The northern ones have chosen 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 make eyes at each other. These rookeries are called feeding grounds.
There are also breeding grounds. There, females give birth and raise young. This state of affairs is very wise. Elephant seals are very clumsy on land. With their weight they can simply destroy all the young animals. Therefore, maternity hospitals and kindergarten are located several hundred kilometers from the feeding beach.
Elephant seals feed on mollusks. Sometimes they can eat a small fish.
These animals are very calm and apathetic. But! If you get the opportunity to see them in person, don’t test their patience for too long!
Cubs are born once a year. Mating season begins in August-September, when spring begins in the southern hemisphere.
First, adult males and females arrive on the beach. The young arrive a little later. Males begin to divide the beach, occupying their own pieces of territory. They zealously protect their “cuts” 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 there is blood and severe injuries. What can I say... Love is evil.
The female becomes someone's by simply coming to the territory of this male. Once she comes, it means she needs 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 coincides with the birthing season.
Having fed her offspring with milk for only one month, the mother is in a hurry to conceive again. The babies, by the way, weigh up to 30 kilograms at birth, leave the rookery, and wait a couple more months until the molt passes. At this time, they eat practically nothing, and are alive only because mother’s milk is an explosive mixture of proteins and carbohydrates, with an incredible calorie content. Sucked out and deposited in subcutaneous fat in a month is enough to maintain strength for another 2 months.
Elephant seals are considered enemies in nature
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