The Northern Elephant Seal of Santa Rosa Island, California (Mirounga angustirostris)
This month's article series will be about the gorgeous isle of Santa Rosa Island, California. Santa Rosa Island is a relatively small island approximately 26 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, South Central California. It is the second largest island in the Channel Islands Archipelago of California. The island is approximately 83.12 square miles (215.27981 square kilometers) in area. Despite being so large, the island has a minuscule population of 2 people, making for an extremely low population density of 0.024061597690087 square miles (0.009290234880828 square kilometers). The island is well known for its beautiful hiking trails, rolling hills, deep canyons, & mesmerizing coastline. Many tidepools are located along its coastline, which are frequently explored by curious visitors. The lagoons near the island are often used as whale nurseries, & dolphin nurseries for young dolphins. Overall, the oceans surrounding Santa Rosa Island are incredibly biodiverse, housing over 100 endangered animals, & serving as a breeding ground for many more. One of the animals using the isle as a breeding ground is the Northern Elephant Seal. The Northern Elephant Seal is a species of Elephant Seal found along the western coast of North America, from Alaska to Baja California. They are well known for their large snouts, which are used to make extremely loud roaring noises. Male Elephant Seals are enormous, & are far larger than the females. In this article, we shall discuss the Discovery & Life Of The Northern Elephant Seal, The Mating Habits, Practices, Procedures, Techniques, Tactics, & Strategies Of The Northern Elephant Seal, The Distribution Of The Northern Elephant Seal, & the Scientific Detailings Of The Northern Elephant Seal. With that being said, let us delve into the Northern Elephant Seal.
The Discovery & Life Of The Northern Elephant Seal
Northern Elephant Seals were discovered by Theodore Nicholas Gill, an American ichthyologist, librarian, malacologist, naturalist, zoologist & mammalogist. He described this species in 1866. Mature males are able to grow up to 13 feet long, & weigh up to 4,400 pounds (1995.806 kilograms). Males are far larger than females, with the females only growing up to 10 feet long & weighing up to 1,300 pounds (589.6701 kilograms). Males have a far higher amount of body fat as well, making them far more cumbersome. Individuals have a fair life span, lasting between 13 & 19 years. Their intelligence level is unmeasured, however, they are believed to be extremely intelligent. Individuals are able to differentiate between 2 separate humans in the wild & in captivity. Additionally, they are able to exhibit affectionate behaviors towards humans they particularly like. Both adult & baby Northern Elephant Seals have a natural curiosity towards humans, & an inquisitiveness about the world. In the wild, they tend not to interact with humans. Under Federal Law, it is illegal for any unauthorized humans to harass, touch, or harm a Northern Elephant Seal in a way that would alter its natural behavior. They are aggressive towards humans both provoked & unprovoked, & are known to make loud roaring noises to warn humans against attacking them. Males are incredibly territorial, & will defend their areas through loud vocalizations, & violence against other Northern Elephant Seals. Apart from breeding, they are generally not social creatures. the average diet of a Northern Elephant Seal consists of Squid, Small Fish, Rays, & Sharks. They are not cannibalistic at any stage in their lives. Due to their large size, there are very few animals physically capable of predating upon them. To maintain their weight, they must consume 120 to 270 pounds (54.4311 to 122.47 kilograms) of food per day. They are active predators, & locate food through sight. This species is equipped with extremely large eyes, that are able to detect movement & light more easily than most other seal species. Individuals are nocturnal hunters, & heavily rely on bioluminescent light from their prey to hunt. The only animals known to predate upon them are Orcas, & Great White Sharks. Individuals are able to swim up to 10 miles per hour, & will swim 15,000 to 20,000 miles per year. Their cruising speed is usually much lower than 10 miles per hour, to conserve fuel. They swim by pushing themselves forward with their tail fins, & then gliding underwater until they have slowed down, & need to speed up again. They remain buoyant through their thick layer of fat, known as blubber. They are fairly agile animals while in the ocean, being able to skilfully traverse the water column. On land, however, they are very slow & cumbersome. Individuals are able to sleep by turning off half of their brains, & finding a comfortable area to sleep on land. While they also sleep underwater, they spend a considerable amount of time sleeping on land. Female Northern Elephant Seals are light silver in color, with a more streamlined body than their male counterparts. They have dark grey or black whiskers, with large black eyes & small snouts. Males are very bulbous, with large elephant-like snouts. They are also silver in color, with slightly smaller eyes, & large flippers. As of 2026, they are categorized as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, meaning that they are not endangered. Their population is actively increasing, painting a hopeful future for the Northern Elephant Seal. There are between 110,000 & 220,000 mature Northern Elephant Seals at any given time.
The Mating Habits, Practices, Procedures, Techniques, Tactics, & Strategies Of The Northern Elephant Seal
Northern Elephant Seals breed via sexual reproduction. They have 2 distinct sexes, & are not naturally hermaphroditic. Their mating system is Polygamous, with Male Northern Elephant Seals having a harem of 5 to 50 females. Males will reach sexual maturity at 10 years of age, which is when they will begin battling other males for dominance. Their breeding season is from December 15th through March 31st, in which much violence will occur. After coming of breeding age, the males will begin calling out a mating song for females. Females will become attracted to this male, & join his harem. A male will protect his harem as well as his pups fiercely. The male has an extremely intense drive to copulate each season, & will in extreme cases as many as 250 pups each year. The gestation period for the pups is between 7 & 11 months long. The mother will forage at sea for the majority of her pregnancy, before returning to shore to mate. She will give birth to a single pup, who she will nurse for 4 weeks until they are able to consume solid foods. The pup is then abandoned by its mother, to fend for itself. Unfortunately, only 50% of pups will survive the first year, with even fewer surviving to maturity.
The Distribution Of The Northern Elephant Seal
Northern Elephant Seals are found from the Aleutian Islands to Baja California. Their primary breeding colonies are in the Channel Islands off the Coast of California. They spend the majority of their lives at sea, & only visit land to breed, molt, or give birth. They are known to dive extremely deep into the ocean to hunt, however they spend the majority of their time in shallow water.
The Scientific Detailings Of Northern Elephant Seal
Northern Elephant Seals possess 30 different sharp teeth, useful for tearing their prey apart. Similar to Humans, Northern Elephant Seals deal with many different kinds of parasites. The most common Parasite found in this species is the nematode Otostronglyus circumlitis, which parasitizes the lungs. It is a significant cause of death amongst adult elephant seals off the coast of California, & is unfortunately very common. Their phylum is Chordata, meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics all species under the phylum of Chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either In adulthood or as juveniles. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail. Their clade is Pinnpedia. Pinnipeds are a heavily distributed & extremely diverse clade of semiaquatic species & marine mammals. They are part of the family known as Phocidae. Animals categorized under Phocidae are essentially earless seals, which means that they do not have ear flaps / coverings, & they do not have any distinguishable ear that can be seen unless you are incredibly up close or using instruments to help. Their genus is Mirounga, which encompasses all Elephant Seals. Their binomial name is Mirounga Angustirostris.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Northern Elephant Seal”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Marine Mammal Center. Retrieval Date: June 5th, 2024.
Citation No. 2: “How Much Do Seals Eat In A Day”, Written by Sandra King, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Pets on Mom. Retrieval Date: June 5th, 2024.
Citation No. 3: “An Elephant Seal’s Deep Dive”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Friends of the Elephant Seal. Retrieval Date: June 5th, 2024.
Citation No. 4: “Northern Elephant Seal: Mirounga Angustirostris”, Written by Luis Huckstad & Last Updated on December 8th, 2014. Published by the International Union For The Conservation Of Nature. Retrieval Date: June 5th, 2024.
Citation No. 5: “Diagnostic Tests for Lungworm-Infected Northern Elephant Seals”, Written by Julie D. Sheldon, Jorge A. Hernandez, Shawn P. Johnson, Cara Field, Sarrah Kaye, & Nicole I. Stacy, & Published on April 25th, 2019. Published by the Marine Mammal Center. Retrieval Date: June 6th, 2024.
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