5.3 Elephant seals

Successful male elephant seals generally _____ during the several months of reproduction. a do not feed and lose much of their weight b feed daily to keep up their strength

a do not feed and lose much of their weight

The northern elephant seal population appears to be a increasing b decreasing

a increasing

During elephant seal mating the ______ bites the neck of its partner. a male b female

a male

The plastic tags that may be seen attached to the flipper of an elephant seal indicate a the location where it was caught (by color) b it is a trained animal released from the zoo c the animal had been in trouble in the past d the animal is a female

a the location where it was caught (by color)

Elephant seals reproduce during a winter b spring c summer d fall

a winter

Elephant seal babies nurse _________ before they are weaned. a a few days b about a month c at least a year d two years

b about a month

Elephant seals in the southern hemisphere are the same species as we find in the northern hemisphere. a true b false

b false

After reproduction the adult northern elephant seals go to the ocean to a feed, staying with their mating partner b feed, the females in one area, the males in another with a little overlap c molt, staying with their mating partner d molt, the females in one area, the males in another with a little overlap

b feed, the females in one area, the males in another with a little overlap

Which sex of the elephant seal is larger than the other at maturity? a female b male

b male

Elephant seals mate and have their babies a in the ocean b on a beach called a rookery

b on a beach called a rookery

Baby elephant seals are weaned a only when their mother has another baby b slowly, over a period of months while their mother teaches them to feed c by their mother leaving them on the beach when they are a month or two old d a few days after birth when their mother refuses to nurse them

c by their mother leaving them on the beach when they are a month or two old

The alpha males are those elephant seals that a arrive first at the rookery b are the loudest at the rookery c fight and keep the largest territories at the rookery d have the longest nose

c fight and keep the largest territories at the rookery

The first animals to arrive at an elephant seal rookery are a males needing a rest b females needing a rest c males fighting for territories d females fighting for territories

c males fighting for territories

The nails (claws) of elephant seals can be described as a not present b present in the middle of the front flipper and rudimentary c present at the end of the front flipper as five blunt nails d present at the end of the front flipper as one very sharp nail

c present at the end of the front flipper as five blunt nails

Which of the following is not found in the adult female elephant seal? a nostrils b forelimbs c hindlimbs d cornified chest

d cornified chest

During a fight between two male elephant seals the loser signals defeat by a lunging at the other male with his cornified chest b making loud 'clap-threats' using his proboscis nose c rising up with the front flippers to present a vertical profile d lying down and presenting a horizontal profile

d lying down and presenting a horizontal profile

The elephant seal rookery near San Simeon and Piedras Blancas has been used by elephant seals a for hundreds of years b during the centuries of sealing c never d only since the early 1990s

d only since the early 1990s

Adult elephant seals look very different. The most noticeable difference is that the males have an elongated nose and the females do not. This differences in the sexes is called a sexual preference b trunk morphology c male/female imaging d sexual dimorphism

d sexual dimorphism

A sneaker male is one who a wears sneakers found on the beach (Keds are the most popular brand) b sneaks food during the reproductive period c is the quietest male on the beach and able to sneak around without notice d tries to mate with females in an established 'harem'

d tries to mate with females in an established 'harem'

The number of elephant seal pups born near San Simeon and Pedras Blancas during 2002 was close to a 0 b 10 c 100 d 1100 e 2000

e 2000

Delayed implantation a assures most babies are born at about the same time each year b allows for yearly reproduction even if gestation is not 12 months c allows for mating to occur over several weeks d is common in many marine mammals e all of these

e all of these

Elephant seal dives in the ocean are a notably deep, they have several records for the deepest dives b facilitated by several adaptations such as those involving hemoglobin, myoglobin, bradycardia, and blood circulation c primarily for feeding d often for a half hour or more e all of these

e all of these

Elephant seal mating is done a on the beach b in front of the baby elephant seals c about three weeks after the female has given birth d with a lot of noise e all of these

e all of these

Newborn elephant seals have a black fur b creases along their sides called 'fetal folds' c vocal bonding with their mother right after their birth d birthing on land e all of these

e all of these

The catastrophic molt common to elephant seals a occurs during summer b happens on land c is where large portions of their fur, and skin, fall off d keeps them from entering the cold ocean to feed e all of these

e all of these

The hind flippers of elephant seals a cannot rotate under their bodies b are fully webbed c function as flippers to give them excellent swimming abilities d are dragged behind their bodies when they move on land e all of these

e all of these