Young Male Elephant Seals
Male elephant seals are called juveniles between the ages of one and four. After that, they become known as sub-adults between the ages of four and seven. The major characteristic of the adult male, the proboscis or trunk, starts to grow as they enter this sub-adult age of puberty. ( The trunk, which gives rise to their name, can even reach the astounding length of two feet in some alpha males.)
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At around five to six years old, the male reaches sexual maturity but doesn't reach physical maturity until around nine years old.
As a juvenile and as a sub-adult, the young male elephant seal participates in many a mock battle with other young males. As the young male gets older, however, and becomes a contender for the females, these battles start to become a lot more serious.
Interestingly enough, when the young male is on land, and not engaged in a mock battle, he seems far more sociable than his female counterpart. He also seems far more willing to lie in physical contact with other males without rancor.
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