What is an elephant seals habitat?

What is an elephant seals habitat?

Habitat. Northern elephant seals reside terrestrially on the sandy, rocky or muddy shores of the coastline, particularly on offshore islands. They typically aggregate in large groups while on land. These animals spend only 10% of their time on land, during reproduction and moulting.

Where can you find elephant seals?

Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) live in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters that feature brutally cold conditions but are rich in the fish, squid, and other marine foods these seals enjoy. Southern elephant seals breed on land but spend their winters in the frigid Antarctic waters near the Antarctic pack ice.

Do elephant seals live in the ocean?

Northern elephant seals are found in the eastern and central North Pacific Ocean from Mexico’s Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska.

Where is the elephant seal from?

Where Can Elephant Seals Be Found? Northern elephant seals are found in the North Pacific, along the coast of North America, from Baja California, Mexico to the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands.

Where do elephant seals eat?

Southern Elephant Seal Diet Southern elephant seals feed exclusively at sea. The main sources of food are fish and squid. Prey is captured both near the surface and very deep underwater. The seals have been known to eat bottom dwelling fish from the ocean’s darkest depths.

How do elephant seals survive in Antarctica?

Special adaptations They can dive to over 1,500m and can stay submerged for up to 2 hours. Their red blood cells may, as an adaptation for diving, contain more haemoglobin than normal. These extra red blood cells make elephant seals’ blood very thick. Their muscles are also used to store oxygen.

Where are the elephant seals on the 1?

Elephant Seal Viewing Area The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery sits just off Highway 1, seven miles north of San Simeon. Follow a flat, wheelchair-accessible path with a railing to witness their remarkable life cycle on the beach.

Where are the elephant seals in Big Sur?

Piedras Blancas Rookery
Elephant Seals are seen year-round at the Piedras Blancas Rookery. Best times of year to see these amazing animals in action are October through May with the big show (birthing and breeding) in January and February. Come see these magnificent marine mammals up close on one of the prettiest coastlines in California.

Do elephant seals eat sharks?

Great white sharks are among the most fearsome predators in the ocean. But elephant seals can intimidate them with their massive size. They can eat all kinds of large prey – including tuna, rays, other sharks, dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, sea otters and birds.

What is bigger an elephant seal or a walrus?

Among the most amazing of pinnipeds are the elephant seals. They are the biggest of pinnipeds – bigger even than walruses – there being a record of a giant male Southern elephant seal that was between 6.5 and 6.8 m long and weighed over 4000 kg (Carwardine 1995).

Are elephant seals bigger than walruses?

Among the most amazing of pinnipeds are the elephant seals. These seals are famous for being big. They are the biggest of pinnipeds – bigger even than walruses – there being a record of a giant male Southern elephant seal that was between 6.5 and 6.8 m long and weighed over 4000 kg (Carwardine 1995).

Where does an African elephant live?

African forest elephants inhabit the dense rain forest of west and central Africa, while African savanna elephants mostly inhabit the wooded savannas and grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa.