What’s so cool: Weighing up to 4,000kg and reaching 6m in length, sexually mature male southern elephant seals haul out on beaches throughout the Southern Ocean each September, rounding up harems of females to mate with.
Description
They are especially grumpy during this period and use their bulbous snouts to generate loud bellows to ward off other males. If that doesn’t work, rival ‘beach masters come to blows, rearing up and lunging at each others’ throats in blubbery, bloodstained battles.
By all means, share a beach with elephant seals – but give them the space and respect they deserve.
North or South: Although they’re commonly found on sub-Antarctic islands such as South Georgia and the Falklands during the austral summer, southern elephant seals spend most of their lives at sea, travelling thousands of kilometres a year.
Just as cool: Orcas – the elephant seal’s main predator – are frequently sighted in both Arctic and Antarctic waters. But one of the most reliable places to see them is the Snaefellsnes Peninsula on Iceland’s west coast, where they gather every spring to hunt overwintering shoals of herring.
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