Males
( Click any photo to enlarge )
The adult male elephant seal or bull is probably the best known member of his family group due to his enlarged proboscis or trunk. The proboscis starts to grow when the male reaches puberty around four years of age. As the male grows older and bigger, so does the proboscis keep growing until the male reaches physical maturity around nine years old.
The male uses the inflated proboscis to produce and resonate loud roaring noises, the sounds of which get deeper and deeper as the male grows older. It even looks as though the male sometimes puts ocean water into his throat with the help of his proboscis to create an even louder resonance when he bellows.
The purpose of these loud noises, which can be heard for well over a mile around, is probably multifold. There's no doubt that the sounds are intimidating, but the sounds from the bellowing bulls might also serve to alert other elephant seals still in the ocean searching for 'their' beach. ( Even though scientists believe that the elephant seals are loners at sea, they certainly seem to be highly social on shore.)
The proboscis may also be used to bump a male opponent in one of their rare 'real' fights. Since their sense of smell is quite good, maybe the nasal cavities at the top of the proboscis help the adult males sniff out who's friend and who'e foe.
Another use of the proboscis is to help prop up the heavy head of the adult male when he's lying on his belly.
Click here for Photo Gallery showing proboscises of different sizes.
Another characteristic of the adult male elephant seal is his cornified chest, which protects his neck from attacks by other males.
The older the male, the pinker and more expansive this thick and calloused skin, criss-crossed with gray seems to get. This ' shield ' of keratinized skin is built up over the years in the practice fights that the younger males start engaging in as youthful weaners.
Click here for Photo Gallery of more cornified chests.
The most dominant males are known as alpha males or beach masters, and they rule their section of the beach throughout the time of birthing and mating. The elephant seal mating time follows right on the heels of the females' weaning of their pups. A full-grown male can grow up to 14-16 feet in length and weigh between 3, 000 and 5,000+ pounds.
When they're not on land, the adult male elephant seal spends most of his time diving along the continental shelf of North America in search of prey. Their prey usually consists of squid, octopi, fish, crustaceans, and sometimes small sharks.