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Elephant Seals
Did you know that...
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male elephant seals are so large that it has been difficult to find
out how much they weigh. Scientists used to cut up dead seals to estimate
their weight and found that skin alone can weigh up to 250 lb, the
blubber,1450 lb, and the heart 93 lb, and the head 115 lb (that's 1908
lbs. for your info, and that's NOT including the other internal organs.)
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southern elephant seals are known to travel great distances from their
breeding beaches. The longest recorded journey was over 3000 miles.
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elephant seals sleep so soundly on breeding beaches that it is
possible for a person to sit on one without waking it.
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the big difference in size between a male and female elephant seal is
thought to be the greatest relative size difference between the sexes of
any mammal.
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elephant seals were originally land mammals but they developed a layer
of blubber to live in the water.
Key Facts
SIZES
 Length:
Southern males, 16 feet; Northern males, 14 feet; Southern females, 10 feet;
Northern females, 10 feet
Weight: Southern males, 5300 lbs; Northern males, 5000; Southern females,
1500; Northern females, 2000
BREEDING
Sexual maturity: 3-5 years
Breeding season: Southern species, September to October; Northern species,
December to January
Gestation: 11 months Number of young: 1 pup
LIFESTYLE
Habit: Social during during breeding, only go on land to molt
Diet: Fish and squid
Call: Roar, growl, or purr
Lifespan: Up 14 years
RANGE
Southern -- lives and breeds in the Antarctic; Northern -- lives off west
coast of California and breeds all along the west coast of America
FEATURES OF AN ELEPHANT SEAL
The most noticeable feature of the adult male elephant seal in its trunk
like snout (hence, the name "Elephant Seal.") Used for sexual display, it
can be inflated and deflated by a blood pressure and muscular action to a
maximum length of 12 inches.
The female ranges between a third and ½ of the size of a full-grown male.
her smaller size puts at great risk of injury during the breeding.
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