Two huge male elephant seals barge into each other and bite each in a heavyweight battle that sees the invader take over the beach and its women

  • Two giant male elephant seals faced off in South Georgia Island 
  • The winner claimed the beach and its harems of females as his own.
  • The fight between seals, which can a total of four tons, was captured on film  










Two elephant seals the size of large wrestle for territory and a harem with females, while being filmed on South Georgia Island in South Atlantic. 

The footage shows two southern elephant seal males fighting on the beach. They can weigh in at least 4,000 kilograms and are three metres long.

The seals size each others up and grunt before almost bowing to one another as a prelude for their fight.

Their fat rolls swell as they collide and they huff at one another in the cold breeze. 

Two enormous elephant seals slugged it out in a battle for territory and a harem of females while being filmed in video on the shores of South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic

Two huge elephant seals engaged in a fierce battle for territory and a fight of the harem of females, all while being filmed on the South Atlantic shores of South Georgia Island.

The huge beasts collided in a rippling of fat and blubber as they fought to be king of the beach

The giant beasts collided in a rippling mess of fat and blubber, as they fought for supremacy on the beach.

The two seals eyed each other up and grunted at each other in the cold November air before the fight

Before the fight, the two seals looked at each other and grunted at one another in the cold November air.

It seemed as if they were almost bowing to each other in a pre-battle ritual, although they were really readying themselves for the first blow

Although they appeared to be almost bowing to one another in a pre-battle ritual they were actually preparing themselves for the first blow.

Male southern elephant seals, which can weigh up to 4,000 kilograms and measure three metres long

During the breeding season, adrenaline-fuelled males will fight any other male contenders to take control of a beach and the harem of females that come with it

The male southern elephant seals can reach 4,000 kilograms in weight and measure three metres in length. In the breeding season, adrenaline-fueled males will fight other male contenders to control a beach and the harems that accompany it.

Photographer and filmmaker Richard Sidey, from Wanaka, New Zealand, took this footage. He said: 'One of the seals arrived at the beach, hoping to become the beach-master and gain access to the current beach-master's harem of females'

This footage was taken by Richard Sidey, a New Zealand photographer and filmmaker. He stated that one of the seals arrived on the beach in an attempt to become the beach-master, and gain access to the current beach master’s harem.

The cameraman added: 'Being so close to the action and these enormous creatures meant that it's certainly one of those unforgettable moments that stick with me through my career'

The cameraman added: ‘Being so close to the action and these enormous creatures meant that it’s certainly one of those unforgettable moments that stick with me through my career’

This footage was taken by Richard Sidey, a New Zealand photographer and filmmaker.

He said: ‘One of the seals arrived at the beach, hoping to become the beach-master and gain access to the current beach-master’s harem of females.

‘The challenger won and claimed the beach.

“This beautiful scene happened right in front of my eyes while I was taking photos on the island.

“I quickly set up a camera and then started to work on the stills.

‘You can see my shutter clicking away in this video.

“Being so close and intimate with the action and these huge creatures meant that it was one of those memorable moments that will stick with me throughout my career.”

Elephant seals are famous for their primal mating behaviors. 

In the breeding season, adrenaline-fueled males will fight other male contenders to control a beach and the harems that go with it.

This is the incredible moment an elephant seal gives birth on an Argentine beach in the UNESCO Valdes Peninsula

This is the amazing moment when an elephant seal gives birth at an Argentine beach on the UNESCO Valdes Peninsula

The black pup stares into its mother's eyes as they are both covered in sand from the beach

The mother and black pup are covered in sand from a beach.

As her nostrils flare and her eyes open and close, the pup fully emerges from its mother in under two minutes

The pup quickly emerges from its mother’s nest in less than two minutes as her nostrils erupt and her eyes open and shut.

Amazing footage captures the moment an elephant seal gives birth on an Argentine shore. 

The video quickly shows that the mother is having contractions while she writhes on a pebble beach in Valdes Peninsula.  

As her nostrils flare and her eyes open and close, the pup fully emerges in under two minutes.

The mother turns her head and yelps at her baby, while the black pup wriggles around. Before long, the two are laying side by side on the pebbly beaches.

After a long pregnancy period of one year, female elephant seals give way to their babies in September.

The pup is born at a weight of approximately 40 kilogrammes (88 pounds) and becomes independent after 25 days. 

Females can fall pregnant again after giving birth within days.

Northern Elephant Seals vs Southern

There are two types: the northern or southern elephant seal.

Northern Elephant Seals 

Northern elephant seals (Mirounga Angustirostris, California) can be found in California or Baja California. However, they prefer to live on offshore islands over the North American mainland.

Southern Elephant Seals 

Mirounga leonina, the southern elephant seal, is found in sub-Antarctic waters and Antarctic waters. These waters are harshly cold, but they are rich in fish, shrimp, and other marine food that the seals love. Southern elephant seals are able to breed on land, but spend their winters in Antarctic waters close to the Antarctic pack ice.

Southern elephants are among the largest of all seals. Males can grow to over 20 feet in length, and can weigh up 8800 pounds. These huge pinnipeds, however, aren’t called elephant sealings due to their size. They get their name from their inflatable trunk-shaped snouts.

Reproduction and Mating Battles 

Male elephant seals defend and define their territories when it is breeding season. They keep a harem that includes 40 to 50 females. These are smaller than their huge mates. Males fight each other to be the dominant mate. Some encounters end with aggressive and roaring posturing, while others turn into bloody and violent battles.

Sea elephants, also known as seals, give birth in winter to one pup and nurse it for approximately one month. While suckling their young, females do not eat—both mother and child live off the energy stored in ample reserves of her blubber. After an 11-month period, a female can give birth to one pup each spring.

Migration 

Elephant seals migrate to find food. They spend months at sea, often diving deep to find food. They return to their rookeries to breed and have babies in winter. Both male and female elephant seals spend a lot of time at sea. However, their migration routes and feeding habits are different. Males follow more consistent routes while females change their routes to find prey.

Elephant seals were hunted aggressively for their oil and were once at risk of extinction. Legal protections have allowed populations to rebound.

 Source: National Geographic

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