Elephant Seals spend most of their time at sea, but come ashore for breeding and molting. The breeding period starts in September with the arrival of the males, followed shortly by the females, who gather in large groups (up to 120 females) called harems. Each harem is controlled by a dominant (alpha) male. Beta males (subordinates to the alpha) are sometimes present in larger harems, but the most of the males are kept outside the female group as peripheral males.
The females give birth and suckle the pups for about 21 days. The pups grow rapidly from about 80 pounds to 300 pounds or more before the females mate and go back to sea, leaving the pups to fend for themselves.
A few months later the seals return to the beaches for a few weeks to molt. During both periods on the beaches the seals fast and lose significant weight, making it up by the concentrated feeding periods at sea.
Elephant Seals
of the
Falkland Islands
One recent Earthwatch expedition was to study the Southern Elephant Seals, large and fascinating animals. The males can be 18 feet long and weigh up to 3.5 tons. The females are considerably smaller, reaching 12 feet and 1700 pounds. They feed mostly on squid, diving to thousands of feet.
