Elephant seals make up what's probably the world's biggest fight club. When they're not diving through the depths of the ocean to tackle prey, the males fight each other over females. Battles between these bulky behemoths are brutal and bloody, and the winner ends up with his choice of up to 100 female mates.
Bull Horn: Elephant seals are named for the large inflatable sacs that males have on their snouts. The sacs hang over their faces like the trunk of an elephant. When facing a rival, the males inflate these sacs to amplify the sound of their threatening roars.
Battle Armor: Young males playfully fight with each other, but even these "friendly" sparring matches can leave scars on their chests. This toughens the seals' skin, providing a sort of armor for the real fights they'll wage as adults.
Bullfighting[]
Elephant seals spend most of their lives feeding in the ocean, but flop onto land for a few months during breeding season. During this time, females lay on the beaches while the much larger males, or bulls, enter fierce battles with each other over the right to mate with the females. The males slash at each other's bodies with their long canine teeth, causing deep, bloody wounds. One male eventually wears down and crawls away, though both seals often end up drenched with blood (shown above, left).
Dive! Dive! Dive! Elephant seals are great swimmers, diving through the open ocean to snag squid and fish all day long. These aquatic mammals can hold their breath for as long as two hours, and have been known to dive nearly a mile deep to catch their meals.
Major Mates: When males battle over mates, they're fighting for exclusive rights to not just one female, but up to 100 of them. Dominant males fight fiercely to guard all the females they can see in their territory from other males.
Heavyweights[]
- As a male elephant seal mates with one female after another, another male creeps into his territory, trying to attract the attention of some of the females. The dominant male sees the intruder, rushes over and howls loudly through its nasal sac.
- The intruder stands his ground, so the two enter a battle. The seals arch their backs and sway side to side, trying to slash at their opponent from several angles. After a lengthy fight, the bloodied intruder knows he is beaten, so he retreats.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The scientific names on the knowledge card represent the Northern Elephant Seal and Southern Elephant Seal, respectively.
- Elephant seals are the largest seals on earth, the southern elephant seal being the largest of the two species.
- The elephant seal is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured as part of one of the example creatures in Create-A-Monster on Monster Mania 36.
- It is then featured in It's All Relative! on Monster Mania 41.
- It is later featured in Know Your Noses on Monster Mania 86.