Elephant seals are large semi-aquatic mammals with two species: southern and northern. Males grow up to 16 feet long and weigh 6,000 pounds, while females are smaller. They have a loud roar and fight over harems during breeding season. They are the largest living member of the order Carnivora and can hold their breath for 80 minutes, diving up to 6,500 feet. They have special adaptations to store oxygen for long dives.
Elephant seals are large semi-aquatic mammals in the suborder Pinnipedia (pinnipeds) known for their large snouts (from which they get their name) and enormous bulk. There are two species of elephant seals: the southern elephant seal, found on various southern islands and coasts of New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, and the northern elephant seal, found on the coast of Pacific of North America, up to Mexico.
Male elephant seals of both species grow to 16 feet (5 m) long, weighing 6,000 pounds (3,000 kg), while females are about 60% long and 30% heavy. During the breeding season, males acquire harems of 40 to 50 females and fight over them. The species’ tremendous noses are used to make loud roaring noises, and aside from simple posture, some battles are to the death. Elephant seals show significant gender differentiation, with males clearly distinguishable from females.
Elephant seals are both the largest of any type of seal and the largest living member of the order Carnivora, which includes bears, dogs, lions, walruses, and many other familiar carnivorous mammals. Although elephant seals live relatively close to many populated coasts, they are rarely seen by the people there, who prefer to frequent remote islands. Like other seals, elephant seals consume rays, rays, octopuses, eels, fish, and squid, but they also supplement this diet with small sharks.
Elephant seals spend 80% of their lives in water and can hold their breath for 80 minutes, the longest of any mammal except whales. The average dive is between 300 and 600 meters (1000 – 2000 feet), but the maximum depth recorded is 2000 m (6,500 feet, more than a mile), deep in the lightless regions. Suited for deep cold-water diving, elephant seals are surrounded by a layer of blubber several centimeters thick, which is primarily responsible for their large bulk.
Elephant seals have special adaptations to have a large volume of blood to store oxygen for long dives. Their abdomens contain large cavities that hold blood, and their muscles are particularly capable of holding blood. Additionally, elephant seals have a higher proportion of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in their blood than most other animals.
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