Neil the Seal Goes Viral, Prompting Concern for His Welfare

Neil the Seal Goes Viral, Prompting Concern for His Welfare

A three-year-old Southern Elephant seal, affectionately dubbed Neil the Seal, has gone viral on the internet. An Instagram account with the handle @neiltheseal22 has amassed over 65,000 followers. The account documents the antics of juvenile Neil, who already weighs a whopping 1,300 pounds. However, wildlife experts have raised concerns about the seal’s safety in the […]

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Sex on the beach: pressures of extreme polygamy may be driving southern elephant seals to early death

Sex on the beach: pressures of extreme polygamy may be driving southern elephant seals to early death

Extreme polygamy may be driving male southern elephant seals to early deaths, new research suggests. A study of 14,000 southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) at Macquarie Island in the south-western Pacific, has found that while survival rates for males and females are roughly comparable for juveniles, male survival rapidly decreased after eight years of age, […]

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