Southern Elephant Seal - 'Largest Seal' in The World

They are large, heavier than polar bears, and they live practically their whole lives below the surface of the sea. The southern elephant seals are aptly called the largest seals, for they tend to be bigger than their northern counterparts, but at the cost of a shorter proboscis. They were once called the 'bottle-nosed seal' (in the nineteenth century)!

Image Credit

These seals are enormous. A female weighs between 400-900 kg, and the male is almost 5-6 times heavier than them, so, you can well imagine their monstrous size! That being said, the weight of a male can be anything between 2000-4000 kg, and they can be 14-19 feet long. The female, in close pursuit, can reach a length of 8.5-9.8 feet. The sexual dimorphism is very conspicuous in the case of these seals, almost like a tangible aspect. The largest was however recorded to be almost 5000 kg, with a length reaching 22.5 feet! It was shot in Possession Bay, in 1913.

Apart from their huge frame, these southern elephant seals are considered to be excellent divers, and dive below 2,133 metres. Infact, much of their feeding habits are unknown because of the inability to access that kind of depth, but while on the Antarctic coasts, they fed on molluscs, crustaceans, lanternfish, krill and algae (not much of a gourmet, if you ask me). You can say that they are ignorant about their own elusiveness. They sport a silvery coat (tone may vary), or a brown one, but the pups are furry, and black. As for its population, in 2005, there were about 664,000-740,000 southern elephant seals. Their entire population is usually divided into breeding stocks, and there are presently three or four stocks, the largest being at South Georgia. Their breeding season lasts from August to November, and one interesting feature about their mating behaviour is the existence of the 'harem', with several females and one male. Well, as if overlooking the harem is not enough, the males must defend the territory as well (and they reach land much before the females), and they can stay months guarding the place, surviving only on blubber storage!

Image Credit

As you can see, these southern elephant seals can take things to the next level. Be it their size or their diving skills, when it comes to sass, they manage to seal the deal.

Post Written by - Lopamudra