Elephant seals in Antarctica are a incredible sight to behold on any trip to Antarctica and one of the region’s most distinctive and recognisable species. Certainly one of our favourite species is the Elephant Seal, here are some fun info about these magnificent creatures and the atmosphere they inhabit. An Antarctic cruise is an icy stuffed elephants safari, with many various species of animals to observe. Females are smaller and weigh round 7 - 800 kg. An adult male Elephant seal can weigh up to 5 tonnes and measure as much as six and a half metres! Elephant seal babies when born weigh round 50 kilograms. Within 3 months they may weigh 150kg! Pups are generally born from September to October when their mothers come ashore at their berthing beaches around the continent. The gestation period for a female Elephant seal is 9 months. Elephant seals are extremely social animals and type large groups or harems for a month throughout the breeding season. Elephants seals are amongst the largest carnivores in the world eating squid and fish as the main sources of food of their weight loss plan, and have been measured diving up to as much as 2000m deep and may hold breath for up to two hours! Sexual dimorphism is a physical difference between the male and female of a species. Males may be up to 10 times the weight of reproductive females. Elephant seals might be found across the Antarctic area, but are most prevalent across the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. They had been hunted
