What are Elephant Seals mating and breeding habits?
Elephant seals are polygynous and highly sexual dimorphic. The males are 8 -10 times larger than the females, and their nose is used as a dominance trait when males are fighting over females. The largest males haul out at beaches in December to establish “their” space. Next come the pregnant females, who aggregate into harems. They give birth several days after arriving and stay with their pups throughout lactation. During this time the females do not feed and rely on their own blubber reserves for survival. Essentially there is a transfer of energy from the female’s blubber to the pup’s milk. At 4-6 weeks they pps are weaned, and must teach themselves how to swim and hunt. There is high mortality during this time, up to 30%. Sexual maturity is at 3-5 years for females and 9-10 for males. Gestation is 11 months, with a 3 month delayed implantation.
