Story: Seals

Elephant seals mating

Elephant seals mating

Male elephant seals are up to 10 times larger than females; the bigger they are, the better they can defend the beach from other males so they can mate with a large number of females, and pass on their ‘big size’ genes to the next generation. Females in the southern Pacific region are much smaller than those in the southern Atlantic.

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Reference: 10048737

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How to cite this page:

Lloyd Spencer Davis, 'Seals - Southern elephant seal', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/6191/elephant-seals-mating (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Lloyd Spencer Davis, published 12 Jun 2006