Mating
As the female nears the end of the nursing period, she enters into estrus or heat causing males of all ages to try and mate with her.
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Of course, the huge alpha males are the ones that claim that right within their harems, but this doesn't prevent younger males from trying to sneak in and give it a try. During this time, some of the fiercest fighting takes place amongst the males causing females and pups to scatter as ardent suitors ' race ' across the beach in pursuit of procreation.
Most mating takes place on the beaches with an ardent male typically approaching the female he has his eye on from behind. He will then hold her in place by biting down on the back of her neck and throwing a fore-flipper over her smaller body.
If the female protests a lot, the male will place his heavy body on top of hers to get her to comply.
A female that is ready to mate makes it abundantly clear by moving closer to a male and wiggling her tail end. Once copulation has taken place, the male and female will often lie side by side for as much as fifteen to twenty-five minutes.
A female that isn't ready to mate tries to rid herself of the male through a series of deterrents such as: barking, biting, flipping, sand, or trying to wriggle away from his grasp. ( If a female is really unwilling, the male, for the most part, won't insist.)
Barking
Flipping Sand
Sometimes, you can even see protracted attempts at copulation by males of all ages in the shallows offshore.
Also, once the alpha males and the male guards have left, you might see really zealous younger males attempting to copulate with weaners or juvenile females.
The female's egg has delayed implantation for a period of about three months making her active gestation about nine months long. ( The embryo isn't truly implanted as it is with other mammals. Instead, it is outwardly attached to the female's uterine wall. ) This delay in the start of growth allows the female to forage and regain strength after spending about one month ashore to give birth, nurse her pup, and copulate.
The delayed implantation causes the length of the gestation to be perfectly timed to coincide with the annual winter haul-out for both the adult male and female elephant seals.
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