The Northern Elephant Seal Mirounga angustirostris Gill, 1866
Northern elephant seal and sea lions on the South-East rookery of Medny Island. Photograph by Eugene Mamaev
The body length of adult males is 4,2 m, the weight is 2500 kg, females are up to 2,8 m long, and weigh up to 700 kg. Newborn cubs are 1,2 m long and weigh up to 40 kg. It is the largest representative of pinnipeds of the Northern Hemisphere.
The area of northern elephant seal is located in the eastern and central parts of the North Pacific. This is a typical representative of the North American fauna. The Hawaiian Islands, Hokkaido and the Commander Islands are the furthest places that northern elephant seals have entered.
The area of the northern elephant seal.
The ration of the northern elephant seal consists of squid and fish, including rays and medium-sized sharks. For food can dive to a depth of 1600 m and stay underwater for up to 77 min. After coming back to the surface stays there up to 5 min. The usual depth of submersion of the northern elephant seal is 350-400 m.
The breeding season takes place from December to March. The breeding system is harem; harems can consist of 12 females. During breeding males stay on their individual areas for several months and during this time lose half of their weight. Lactation lasts 28 days. After breeding the animals leave the rookery and come back again only in 2-3 months for molting, after the completion of which they go back into the water.
The current population of the northern elephant seal is estimated at 150 ths individuals.
For the first time the northern elephant seal on the Commander Islands was observed by Mamaev E. G. and Tchelnokov F. G. (2002) in the South-East rookery in summer, 2001. It was a young and already tagged male. By the number of the tag it was possible to find out where and when it was born. The animal was born in 1999 in northern California. The distance from the place of birth to the Commander Islands is 3800 km. The sea elephant actively contacted sea lions lying on the rookery and fought with them. The male stayed on the islands until the summer, 2004. During this time it was observed on the North-West rookery on Bering Island. One more time the northern elephant seal (another animal at the age of about 2 years) was observed on the Commander Islands in April, 2006 on the North-West rookery.
Young northern elephant seal (left) competes with sea lions for a place at the rookery. Photograph by Eugene Mamaev
