South Georgia - Falklands Expedition Report - Part 4 - Southern Elephant Seal
/Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/1000 sec at f/5, ISO 1000
Take one look at the elongated snout (proboscis) of the adult male Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonine) and the common name of this immense animal is easy to understand. Male elephant seals can be over 20 feet long and weigh more than 8,000 pounds. Females lack the large proboscis and are much smaller (about 10 ft in length and weighing, on average, about 2,000 pounds). Males reach sexual maturity between 3-6 years of age but do not begin breeding until about 10 years of age. Females reach sexual maturity between 2-4 years of age.
I know it is not wise to believe all you read on the internet, but I am inclined to believe the statement made on this site that the size and weight of elephant seals makes them very impractical pets.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/1000 sec at f/5, ISO 800
Except when they go ashore during breeding and molting seasons, Southern elephant seals spend the remainder of their time foraging in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters, diving almost continuously in search of food. As breeding season approaches, the adults return to their breeding grounds to give birth and mate. Breeding males arrive about a month before the females and engage in intense competition and battles for dominance. A dominance hierarchy is established before females begin arriving on the rookery (already pregnant from the previous mating season) and form groups called harems. Access to females within the harem is dominated by the alpha male or ‘beachmaster’. In large harems, one or more sub-dominant beta bull males may gain access to females. Because each bull keeps males lower in rank than himself from approaching females, this further restricts access to the harem.
Interestingly, the breeding males that arrive earliest on the rookery are unlikely to be successful at mating. While they may obtain alpha status in the hierarchy initially they expend so much energy subduing subordinates that in their exhausted state, they are vulnerable to attacks by males that arrive later.
I believe the male shown in the first photo was the beachmaster of the harem we saw at Gold Harbour on South Georgia Island and the male shown in the second photo was one of the beta bulls.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 1250
The putative beachmaster, one of the females in the harem (bottom right, pun intended), and a youngster (left).
About a week after pregnant females arrive on the beach and join a harem, they give birth to a single pup. They nurse the pup for three to four weeks and then return to the sea, thereby weaning the pup. Females do not feed or drink during this time; blubber reserves are used to maintain mother and pup. During the last few days of nursing the female is in estrus and may copulate with the alpha male or the highest ranking male in the vicinity one or several times.
After the female returns to the sea, she regains the 30-40 percent of body weight lost while giving birth and nursing the pup. Later she returns to the breeding area for 30-40 days to complete an annual molt. The egg that was fertilized after she gave birth much earlier does not implant and begin development until she departs from the molt. By that time the fertilized egg has developed into the cluster of cells known as a blastocyst and it attaches to the uterus and the seven and one-half month gestation period begins. For the colony, this delay in implantation synchronizes birthing without synchronizing breeding. The next crop of pups will be born after the males have established their harems on the breeding beaches despite considerable variation in the mating times of the females months earlier.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 106mm, 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro Lens
1/1600 sec at f/5.6, ISO 500
Elephant Seal and King Penguins, Gold Harbour, South Georgia Island. This photo is included merely to show the relative size of Elephant Seals and King Penguins. Perception is reality, and "large" only exists when juxtaposed to "small". Statement from Rafael Rojas’ book A Photographer's Vision: Namibia.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/1250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 320
Pups are born with dark brown-black fur. They obtain a shorter coat of gray hair after a molt about 1 month later. After weaning, pups remain on the beaches or in the shallows for 4 - 6 weeks before departing into the sea.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 40mm, 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro Lens
1/1600 sec at f/9, ISO 1000
Part of an elephant seal harem on the beach at Gold Harbour, South Georgia Island.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 40mm, 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro Lens
1/400 sec at f/4.5, ISO 64
King Haakon Bay, South Georgia. Younger elephant seals congregate in non-breeding areas away from the harems. These seals were photographed in such an area. Our ship, Polar Pioneer, in the background.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 300mm f/4 IS Pro Lens
1/1250 sec at f/9, ISO 2000
Saint Andrews Bay, South Georgia. Juvenile (ages 1 to 4) and sub-adult (ages 4 to 7) male elephant seals arrive with the adult males and practice fighting in many mock battles with other young males.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 150mm, 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro Lens
1/1600 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800
Gold Harbour, South Georgia Island. As the young male gets older and closer to becoming a contender for the females, the battles become more intense and longer in duration.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 150mm, 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro Lens
1/2000 sec at f/4.5, ISO 1600
Posing for a portrait, King Haakon Bay, South Georgia
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera, 150mm, 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro Lens
1/250 sec at f/4.5, ISO 64
Portrait session continues. King Haakon Bay, South Georgia