Tim Melling – Elephant Seal

Southern Elephant Seal. Photo: Tim Melling

Tim writes: Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) is the largest species of pinniped (seals and sea-lions) in the world.  It is 40% heavier than Northern Elephant Seal and more than twice as heavy as a Walrus.  The largest ever male Southern Elephant Seal was 6.85m long with an estimated weight of 5000kg.  Research has shown that when at sea, they spend very little time at the surface breathing, but stay submerged typically for about 20 minutes.  They can also dive deeper than any other pinniped, reaching water depths of 1km.   I took the photograph on Gold Harbour beach in South Georgia.

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2 Replies to “Tim Melling – Elephant Seal”

  1. Thanks Paul.

    Sorry for the slow reply but I’ve been away in Canada. I used a 300mm lens with a 1.4 converter (=420mm). I wouldn’t risk this with a wide-angle!

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