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|RINGED
SEAL| |HARBOR SEAL| |ELEPHANT
SEAL| |WHITE-WINGED SCOTER|
|SURF SCOTER| |PACIFIC
HALIBUT| |BLACK BEAR|
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FACT SHEET AS PDF
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ELEPHANT SEAL TAXONOMY
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| Kingdom: |
Animalia |
Anima = soul, spirit |
| Phylum: |
Chordata |
Chord = a string,
musical instrument. Chordata = having a notocord or
"back-string". |
| Class: |
mammalia |
Mamm = breast,
pap, teats |
| Order: |
Carnivora |
Carn = flesh |
| Suborder: |
Pinnipedia |
Pinna (penna) =
a wing, also a feather. Ped = a foot |
| Family: |
Phocidae |
"Phocids"
are also known as "true seals" |
| Genus: |
Mirounga |
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| Species: |
angustirostris |
Latin term angustus
="narrow" Latin term rostrum " = snout" |
 |
| Range |
Restricted to northeast Pacific ocean. Historical
distribution and abundance are poorly known. During
non-breeding seasons, range along the coast of California,
Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Also found
in the Gulf of Alaska and eastern Aleutian Islands.
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| Predators |
Have no significant predators. Occasionally great
white sharks and orcas have taken them. Small numbers
of bacteria and viruses cause skin lesions. Goose
and stalked barnacles may attach to the skin, particularly
juveniles. Parasitic copepods may imbed in the tissue
surrounding bites left by cookie cutter sharks. |
| Prey |
Prey
on mesopelagic cephalopods (at least 13 species of
squid and two of octopus), fish and small sharks |
| Size |
Adult males grow to 4 m in length and 2000 kg; females
grow up to 3 m in length and 600 kg. The inflatable
proboscis and their broad, callused, scarred chest
easily identify males. Hair is sparse in both sexes.
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| Life
Span |
Males live for approximately 15 – 16 years. The oldest
known female lived to 18 years. She was tagged at
birth. |
| Reproduction |
Male elephant seals are polygynous (mating with multiple
females) but not territorial. Very gregarious during
the breeding season. Females give birth to one pup
between December and March. Nurse for approximately
27days, then abruptly wean. Females reach sexually
maturity as early as two years of age. Most give
birth by the time they are four. Males reach sexual
maturity at 6 to 7 years old. Males compete with each
other for estrous females. Males establish dominance
hierarchies through visual and vocal threats, and
through physical combat. |
|
Seasonal Change |
Most females depart rookeries in mid-February / March
and remain at sea for approximately 75 days. During
the breeding season females may loose 45% of their
mass. They return to land in April / May to molt.
Adult males depart rookeries in February, having lost
up to half of their body mass and return to land to
molt in late June, early July. During a molt an elephant
seal will shed the upper layer of skin and hair in
large patches. Newborns have a black fur coat that
they shed between 3 to 4 weeks of age. It is replaced
by a shiny light gray / silver one, which lasts for
approximately 6 to 8 weeks. At 2 to 3 months, pups
are brown on back with pale yellow undersides. As
adult females vary from blonde to dark brown, males
are generally darker. Both sexes are lighter ventrally
(undersides).Both sexes make two foraging migrations
each year, returning to haul outs to molt and breed.
Males tend to migrate north toward the Gulf of Alaska
females tend to remain south of the Aleutian Island
chain. |
| Morphology
And Function |
Fore
Flippers:
used mostly for steering while in the water and
pulling their bodies along while on land they have
nails to help move around on the rocks / ice as
well as for defense. Phocids also use their front
flippers to scratch.
Rear
Flippers: used for propelling through the water;
animal uses a lateral motion where one flipper will
close while the other sweeps through the water in
a back and forth motion. These also have nails,
which are not known to serve any purpose
Whiskers
(also called vibrissae): three types; supracilliary
(above the eye), rhinal (above the nose), mystachial
(beside the nose---most noticeable). These are
the main tactile structures and are used during
navigation, foraging, etc.Elephant seals are sexually
dimorphic in size and shape of canine teeth. Male
canines can grow to 15 cm long with as much as 6
cm exposed above the gums. They are used for fighting
other males during breeding season.
****Phocids
lack external ear pinnae (ear flaps)---this does
not affect their ability to hear
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| Unique
Facts |
- Phocids
(including elephant seals) are more abundant than
Otariids (sea lions). This is mostly due to the
fact that Phocids tend to live in more productive
habitats.
- Phocids
have blubber as insulation
- Female
elephant seals dive from 13-22 minutes. Males
can dive up to 80 minutes. These animals typically
reach depths of 370-480m.
- Record
for the deepest dive by an air-breathing vertebrate
was a bull elephant seal, 1581m. A small microprocessor
based time-depth recorder was used to record it
in 1989.
- Phocids
have a hearing range of 10-30 kHz in the water
and 3-10 kHz in the air.
**People have a hearing range of 20 Hz – 20 kHz
with 20 kHz being the threshold of pain**
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