Instead, they keep watch over the land territory. Northern elephant seals — scientific name Mirounga angustirostris — typically spend nine months of each year in the ocean, dining mainly on squid and fish. While photographing the Elephant Seals north of San Simeon, you always see fights between the alpha males over territory during mating season. The seals … Diet. Skip to main content. Do not feed the squirrels. Elephant seals are similar to walruses, in the seal family. They are very dangerous, and fight to the death by biting one another. Elephant seals are protected by federal law. They only come together while mating where their violent behavior is exposed while males are fighting for females. Its range is mostly in warm waters. Next to a 4.5-ton bull, female southern elephant seals look puny. What Kind Of Mating Behavior Is This An Example Of? Keep dogs on a leash and well away from the seals. Dogs and seals do not mix. While they are not mating, elephant seals prefer to stay by themselves. Over the winter, the males do not hunt. While this is taking place, the bulls actually cease fighting with one another. If you witness someone harassing a marine animal, call 1.805.927.2068. Elephant seals, although their name says, aren't really related to elephants! Elephant Seal Habitat and Diet. Elephant seals also don’t eat while on land, so they need to conserve energy. They have elephant-like trunks and are very blubbery. When a tagged animal comes to the surface for a breath of air, stored data transmits upward to an orbiting satellite. The type of molt which an elephant seal undergoes is a catastrophic molt. Elephant Seals Fight to Near Death. ... An easily avoided fight can mean life or death for the seal. It is illegal to touch, throw things or cause a reaction from any marine mammal. Polygandry Monogamy Intersexual Selection Intrasexual Selection Polar-orbiting satellites like the ARGOS satellite orbit the Earth in about 90 minutes. Posted on February 2, 2012 by lcowlesphotography. “It’s not advantageous for males to fight all the time,” says Caroline Casey, a researcher at the UC Santa Cruz. Very big. She says fights can be risky. Female elephant seals don't have the trunks. In general, males are seven or eight times heavier than females and can be twice as long. Elephant seals migrate in search of food, spending months at sea and often diving deep to forage. They are just seals with elephant trunks. Question: Male Elephant Seals Routinely Fight (sometimes To The Death) In Order To Mate With Large Groups Of Female Elephant Seals. The Big Fight. Elephant seals are big. Elephant seals that are outfitted with satellite tags can be tracked. “Sometimes they can result in death and we’ve seen that,” she says. 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