Knowra Southern elephant seal Southern elephant seal The southern elephant seal is the largest living seal, ranging through the Southern Ocean and breeding in dense colonies on subantarctic shores. Males have a large inflatable proboscis and compete intensely for access to females.
Elephant seal diving : Elephant seal diving is a pattern of prolonged, deep dives used to find prey while limiting time at the surface. Southern elephant seals repeatedly dive during months-long migrations, reaching depths beyond 1,500 meters.
Satellite tracking of marine animals : Satellite tracking uses transmitters to record the movements of animals across land and sea. Tags attached to southern elephant seals reveal migration routes and diving behavior far from shore.
South Georgia : South Georgia is a mountainous island in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the southern tip of South America. It hosts one of the largest southern elephant seal breeding populations.
Climate change in the Southern Ocean : Climate change in the Southern Ocean includes warming, sea-ice change, and shifts in ocean circulation and ecosystems. These changes may alter prey availability and foraging conditions across the seals’ range.
Blubber : Blubber is a thick layer of fat beneath the skin that stores energy and insulates marine mammals. It supplies energy during the breeding fast and reduces heat loss in cold Southern Ocean water.
Southern Ocean : The Southern Ocean is the ocean surrounding Antarctica, defined by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. It is the main marine environment through which southern elephant seals migrate and forage.
Macquarie Island : Macquarie Island is a subantarctic island in the southwest Pacific Ocean, administered by Australia. Its beaches support a major breeding colony and have been the subject of long-term population surveys.
Avian influenza in marine mammals : Avian influenza in marine mammals is infection by influenza A viruses that circulate among birds and can spill over into marine mammals. Outbreaks in elephant seals have raised concern about disease-driven mortality in dense colonies.
Countercurrent exchange : Countercurrent exchange transfers heat or substances between adjacent flows moving in opposite directions. Blood vessels in the flippers exchange heat this way, helping limit heat loss in cold water.
Antarctic krill : Antarctic krill are small, shrimp-like crustaceans that form a major part of Southern Ocean food webs. They are among the prey eaten by southern elephant seals, alongside fish and squid.
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