How do elephant seals fight for dominance?
Male southern elephant seals (bulls) fight for dominance over female harems and must continuously battle to maintain their rank. Bulls may have to stay on land to defend their territories for months at a time, not even leaving to hunt. Battling elephant seal males use their weight and teeth against each other.
What do elephant seals use their seals for?
Elephant Seal. Both males and females use it as a rebreather of sorts – it reabsorbs moisture when the seals exhale, which is important during their fasts during mating season. Elephant Seals and Monk Seals are the only seals that molt – they shed their outer layer of skin. They need to shed skin just like humans do,...
What predators do elephant seals have?
The females and juveniles will molt first, followed by the sub adult males, and finally the large mature males. The main predator of elephant seals is the great white shark. Orcas are also another predator of elephant seals. Cookie cutter sharks can take bites from their skin.
Why are male elephant seals more likely to die than females?
Now, scientists have found that male elephant seals are so driven to eat and grow that they take on great personal risk and are much more likely than females to die while foraging for food.
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What are the male elephant seals fighting for?
Male elephant seals compete fiercely for access to females during the breeding season, and their violent, bloody fights take a toll on both winners and losers. These battles are relatively rare, however, and a new study shows that the males avoid costly fights by learning the distinctive vocal calls of their rivals.
Do male elephant seals fight to the death?
Do big males fight to the death? Rarely. During the breeding season, bulls battle each other for the right to breed with the females. These confrontations are often bloody, but rarely result in serious injury to either bull.
Why do two male elephant seals fight ferociously?
The males start play-fighting each other when they're weaners. The fights for serious dominance, however, don't start until the male reaches puberty. Then, fighting between males will take place for territorial rights, mating rights, and higher standing in the male hierarchy.
What happens when elephant seals fight?
0:183:35Up Close to Elephant Seals Fighting | BeachMaster | Super Giant AnimalsYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf one animal is clearly larger than the other will probably back down or be chased away. But if theMoreIf one animal is clearly larger than the other will probably back down or be chased away. But if the two are more closely matched then all hell breaks.
Why did the older male seal fight?
Mating Battles and Reproduction They collect a harem of 40 to 50 females, which are much smaller than their enormous mates. Males battle each other for mating dominance. Some encounters end with roaring and aggressive posturing, but many others turn into violent and bloody battles.
Who will win elephant seal or walrus?
While walruses and seals are both fairly docile breeds, Elephant seals are considered to be a bit more aggressive than the walrus — though it is unlikely that the two would ever get into a physical fight with one another.
Why are elephant seals so aggressive?
Only the biggest and fiercest bull seals get to sire offspring. So natural selection has gradually made the bulls extremely aggressive and given them tools to scare other bulls: elephant-like snouts, the ability to trumpet, and body weights three to seven times that of the cows.
What is the alpha elephant seal called?
During breeding season, between December and March, elephant seals take a break from their lives at sea and congregate on the West Coast from San Francisco to Mexico. The males, called bulls, arrive first and fight to establish dominance.
What are some fun facts about elephant seals?
Male elephant seals weigh as much as a small truck or cargo van. Elephant seals spend up to 80% of their lives in the ocean. They can hold their breath for more than 100 minutes – longer than any other non-cetacean mammal. They can cover 60 miles a day when they head out to sea.
Do seals fight each other?
Fighting is rare, except between competing males during the mating season.
How do you tell if a seal is male or female?
Both sexes have a scar from the umbilical attachment (belly-button). The males (♂) have a penile opening approximately half way between the umbilcal scar and the hind flippers, whilst the females (♀) have two small mammary glands which are often visible.
How can you tell a male elephant seal from a female?
Females are three to four times smaller than the males, but still no slouches in the size department, weighing as much as 1,600 lb. or 725 kg (12 humans) and just over nine feet (2.7 metres) in length! It's hard not to laugh at the appearance of an adult male elephant seal.
Do male elephant seals have predators?
Large southern elephant seals have few predators, but killer whales, leopard seals, and some large sharks are known to feed on this species. Historically, southern elephant seals were hunted to very low numbers because of the value and volume of their blubber, which was rendered into oil.
How do elephant seals defend themselves?
Aggression. As a last resort when grabbed by a predator, seals will bite and thrash to defend themselves. In the case of male seals, such as elephant seals protecting a territory from competing males, the two will battle by biting and slamming their necks against each other.
What are 5 interesting facts about seals?
15 Fun Facts About Seals to Celebrate International Seal DaySeals Are Part of the Pinniped Order of Marine Mammals. ... Seals Prefer Cold Sea Waters. ... In the Wild, Grey Seals Can Live for Up to 35 Years. ... Seal Species Come in Different Sizes. ... Some Seal Species Feed off Fellow Seals!More items...•
How do northern elephant seals defend themselves?
Teeth. Second only to its size, the biggest weapon in the elephant seal's defense arsenal is its teeth. Each elephant seal has an impressive set of 30 sharp teeth designed for grasping and holding prey. They also come in handy when fighting off marine life with cruel intentions.
What is the scene like when two elephant seals have a difference of opinion?
Oh, what a sight to behold ! When two huge adult male elephant seals have a difference of opinion, the ensuing scene looks like the clash of the Titans.
Why do boxers lean on each other?
Since they're both extremely heavy, they also lean on each other, much like human heavy-weight boxers do to tire out and wear down their opponent.
When do males start fighting?
The males start play-fighting each other when they're weaners. The fights for serious dominance, however, don't start until the male reaches puberty. Then, fighting between males will take place for territorial rights, mating rights, and higher standing in the male hierarchy.
Why do elephant seals have circular eyes?
Elephant seals have large circular eyes that have more rods than cones to help them see in low light conditions when they are diving. These seals also possess a structure called the tapetum lucidum, which helps their vision by having light reflected back to the retina to allow more chances for photoreceptors to detect light.
Which is bigger, the southern or northern elephant seal?
On average, the southern ele phant seal tends to be larger than the northern species. Adult male elephant seals belonging to the northern species tend to have a larger proboscis, and thick chest area with a red coloration compared to the southern species. Females do not have the large proboscis and can be distinguished between species by looking ...
How long does it take for an elephant seal to molt?
Once a year, elephant seals go through a process called molting where they shed the outer layer of hair and skin. This molting process takes up to a month to complete . When it comes time to molt, they will haul out on land to shed their outer layer, and will not consume any food during this time. The females and juveniles will molt first, followed by the sub adult males, and finally the large mature males.
How long do seals live?
The longest life expectancy of a male northern elephant seal is approximately 14 years.
How deep do elephant seals dive?
Elephant seals dive to 1,550 m (5,090 ft) beneath the ocean's surface (the deepest recorded dive of an elephant seal is 2,388 m (7,835 ft) by a southern elephant seal, while the record for the northern elephant seal is 1,735 m (5,692 ft)).
How much does an elephant seal weigh?
When elephant seals are born, they can weigh up to 36 kilograms (79 pounds) and reach lengths up to 122 cm (4 ft 0 in).
What is the genus of elephant seals?
For the superfamily of sea slugs, see Pterotracheoidea. Elephant seals are large, oceangoing earless seals in the genus Mirounga. The two species, the northern elephant seal ( M. angustirostris) and the southern elephant seal ( M. leonina ), were both hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century, ...
What do male elephant seals fight for?
Male southern elephant seals (bulls) fight for dominance over female harems and must continuously battle to maintain their rank.
Why do elephant seals exhale?
To stay underwater so long, southern elephant seals exhale before diving to get gases out of their bodies. They would suffer oxygen decompression sickness if they did not, the same fate that can impact scuba divers. To maintain oxygen levels, southern elephant seals store oxygen in hemoglobin and in their muscles.
How do southern elephant seals hunt?
Male southern elephant seals tend to hunt along the continental shelf and forage on the ocean floor, while females hunt more in the open ocean.
How old are elephant seals when they are male?
Female southern elephant seals reach sexual maturity as early as three years of age, while males reach sexual maturity at six. Males usually don’t have enough muscle to become a dominant bull until they’re about nine years old. Southern elephant seal bulls arrive at the mating ground beaches in December through January, ...
How many pups do seals have?
The highest ranking males may father up to 500 pups during their lifetime. Female southern elephant seals arrive already pregnant from the previous mating season 11 months earlier. Pups are born about five days after the females arrive at the rookery. The babies weight around 32 kg (70 pounds) and will nurse for about 26 days.
How do elephant seals store oxygen?
To maintain oxygen levels, southern elephant seals store oxygen in hemoglobin and in their muscles. These seals have twice the volume of blood of land mammals of the same size, and their blood contains 50% more hemoglobin.
Why do bulls have a shield?
Bulls form a shield of keratinized skin on their chests to protect them when fighting with other males. Southern elephant seals spend almost 90% of their lives in the water. Males can weigh up to 10 times what females weigh, the greatest weight disparity between sexes of any mammal.
Overview
Breeding season
Dominant males arrive at potential breeding sites in spring, and fast to ensure that they can mate with as many females as possible. Male elephant seals use fighting, vocal noises, and different positions to determine who will be deemed the dominant male. When males reach eight to nine years of age, they have developed a pronounced long nose, in addition to a chest shield, which is thickened skin in their chest area. They display their dominance by showing their noses, making …
Taxonomy
John Edward Gray established the genus Mirounga in 1827. The generic name Mirounga is a Latinization of miouroung, which is said to have been a term for the seal in an Australian Aboriginal language. However, it is not known which language this represents.
Description
Elephant seals are marine mammals classified under the order Pinnipedia, which, in Latin, means feather- or fin-footed. Elephant seals are considered true seals, and fall under the family Phocidae. Phocids (true seals) are characterized by having no external ear and reduced limbs. The reduction of their limbs helps them be more streamlined and move easily in the water. However, it makes navigating on land more difficult because they cannot turn their hind flippers forward to walk lik…
Physiology
Elephant seals spend up to 80% of their lives in the ocean. They can hold their breath for more than 100 minutes – longer than any other noncetacean mammal. Elephant seals dive to 1,550 m (5,090 ft) beneath the ocean's surface (the deepest recorded dive of an elephant seal is 2,388 m (7,835 ft) by a southern elephant seal, while the record for the northern elephant seal is 1,735 m (5,69…
Adaptations
Elephant seals have large circular eyes that have more rods than cones to help them see in low light conditions when they are diving. These seals also possess a structure called the tapetum lucidum, which helps their vision by having light reflected back to the retina to allow more chances for photoreceptors to detect light.
Their body is covered in blubber, which helps them keep warm and reduce drag while they are s…
Life history
The average lifespan of a northern elephant seal is 9 years, while the average lifespan of a southern elephant seal is 21 years. Males reach maturity at five to six years, but generally do not achieve alpha status until the age of eight, with the prime breeding years being between ages 9 and 12. The longest life expectancy of a male northern elephant seal is approximately 14 years.
Females begin breeding at age 3–6, and have one pup per breeding attempt. Most adult female…
Molting
Once a year, elephant seals go through a process called molting where they shed the outer layer of hair and skin. This molting process takes up to a month to complete. When it comes time to molt, they will haul out on land to shed their outer layer, and will not consume any food during this time. The females and juveniles will molt first, followed by the sub adult males, and finally the large mature males.