Table of Contents
- 1 What is an adaptation that elephant seals have for life in the cold water?
- 2 What special features do elephant seals have?
- 3 Why do elephant seals have trunks?
- 4 How long can elephant seals hold their breath?
- 5 Do elephant seals eat babies?
- 6 How does an elephant seal adapt to its environment?
- 7 How long can an elephant seal hold its breath?
- 8 How does an elephant seal slow its heart rate?
What is an adaptation that elephant seals have for life in the cold water?
Elephant seals are shielded from extreme cold more by their blubber than by fur. Their hair and outer layers of skin molt in large patches. The skin has to be regrown by blood vessels reaching through the blubber.
What special features do elephant seals have?
Southern elephant seals have a torpedo shape, which accounts for their prowess in swimming and diving. Their enormous volume of blood stores oxygen, which they use very efficiently. They even have extra spaces called sinuses in their abdomens to store extra blood.
Why do elephant seals have big noses?
Elephant seals aren’t named for their size. Rather, the males develop noses that kind of look like elephants’ trunks. They inflate their noses in order to scare other males away — to mate, they have to fight for dominance. Elephant seals are deep divers — which is why they have those big, soulful eyes.
Why do elephant seals have trunks?
Their trunk-like nose serves two purposes: Males use the proboscis to generate loud roars to fend off other males, and both males and females use it to re-absorb moisture during their mating fasts.
How long can elephant seals hold their breath?
two hours
Male elephant seals can hold their breath for longer than almost any other mammal, diving beneath the waves for up to two hours without surfacing for air. Elephant seals live for just two months of the year on land.
Do elephant seals fight to the death?
Do big males fight to the death? Rarely. During the breeding season, bulls battle each other for the right to breed with the females. These confrontations are often bloody, but rarely result in serious injury to either bull.
Do elephant seals eat babies?
At sea, elephant seals typically dive 20 minutes to a depth of 1,000 to 2,000 feet in search of food: rays, skates, rat fish, squid, and small sharks. The females eat nothing while they are giving birth, nursing, and mating, and the males go without food for up to three months at that time.
How does an elephant seal adapt to its environment?
D Elephant Seal Adaptation: Thermoregulation: Keep Cool, Stay Warm. Elephant seals have “shunts” in their circulatory systems. A shunt acts like a valve, diverting blood flow in one direction or another. When in the water, they shunt blood away from their body surface in order to keep their core and vital organs warm.
Why do elephant seals have so much haemoglobin?
Haemoglobin in red blood cells carries oxygen, and elephant seals have a lot more red blood cells per unit of blood than other animals. Their red blood cells may, as an adaptation for diving, contain more haemoglobin than normal. These extra red blood cells make elephant seals’ blood very thick. Their muscles are also used to store oxygen.
How long can an elephant seal hold its breath?
Elephant seals can hold their breath for over 80 minutes, longer than any other non-cetacean mammal. Furthermore, elephant seals are incredible divers as well, with an ability to dive to 1500 metres beneath the oceans surface.
How does an elephant seal slow its heart rate?
The seal’s heart rate slows while diving to reduce blood flow to the body. This process is called bradycardia. Blood is diverted away from the elephant seal’s skin and other peripheral tissues and towards their core organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain.