Who would win the deadly fight?
Elephant seals come in two varieties.
They are the only members of the genus ‘Mirounga’ in the Phocidae (or ‘real seals’) family.
Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris) and Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris).
Northern elephant seals are smaller than their southern counterparts.
The gentle giants of the Arctic are walruses.
They are pinnipeds, or fin-footed, semiaquatic marine animals, that are among the largest.
Despite their impressive size and the fact that they are carnivores, these animals are not violent.
Body Description
The Elephant seal derives its name from its vast size and small trunk-like proboscis on its nose.
Males, often known as bulls, use their trunks to compete with other males for breeding rights.
Elephant seals cannot move on land due to their vast weight; yet, their flippers enable them to swim quickly and powerfully, but they lack the strength to raise their bodies off the ground.
Elephant seals utilize their noses to make loud roaring noises, especially during mating season.
The largest bull elephant seal ever recorded was 22 feet long and weighed 7500 pounds.
Elephant seals’ fat protects them from the cold far more than their fur.
Walruses have massive bodies with flabby skin that is brown or pink.
Except for their fins, they have short fur covering most of their bodies.
They have two little eyes, a mustache, and two long tusks.
Walruses range in size from 1,320 to 3,300 pounds and can reach lengths of up to 10.5 feet.
Males are slightly larger than females, with longer and bigger tusks and thicker skin.
Walrus tusks can reach a length of three feet.
Tusks are canine teeth that protrude from the animal’s mouth on either side.
Walruses utilize their tusks to help them break through the ice and climb out of the water.
Range and Habitat
The rocky island coasts of the Antarctic are particularly appealing to Elephant Seals of the Southern Ocean.
They can also be found in numerous oceans across the world.
There are about 650,000 of them in the world.
They prefer to spend most of their time in the water. Thus they must be in areas with an abundance of food.
The eastern and central North Pacific Oceans are home to northern elephant seals.
They can be found as far north as Alaska and south as Mexico, but they usually breed in California’s Channel Islands or Baja California in Mexico.
The majority of walruses dwell in the Arctic Circle’s icy waters.
They prefer regions with shallow water since it is easier for them to get food.
Walruses sleep or rest by climbing up onto ice or beaches.
On land, they are slow, but they are lightning fast in the water.
Hundreds of Walruses congregate on the ice to sunbathe.
Elephant seals were hunted to near extinction in the eighteenth century. The population of Northern elephant seals on Isla de Guadalupe was reduced to a small herd of fewer than 100 animals.
This species’ protection resulted in a steady recovery during the twentieth century, and the population moved north to additional islands and some mainland beaches.
The present population is believed to be above 150,000 individuals.
Commercial hunting nearly wiped off the walrus population in the 1950s, but in the 1980s, the population was restored to a healthy level.
Diet and Nutrition
Elephant seals are thought to eat squid and fish and feed in deep water.
They can last for up to three months without any food.
If these food sources become rare, they may eat small sharks in their natural environment.
They can dive into the ocean and not surface for up to two hours.
They’ve been discovered more than 3,000 feet beneath the surface, searching for the nourishment they require to survive.
Walruses are carnivores, although not vicious predators.
Shellfish is the walrus’ favorite food, they use their whiskers to detect it in the dark ocean waters.
In one feeding, a walrus can consume up to 4,000 clams.
Walruses will also consume the carcasses of dead seals when food is scarce.
Sexual Reproduction
Late in December, the female Elephant seals arrive at the rookeries (breeding grounds).
Elephant seals typically give birth to a single pup within a week of mating. The gestation period lasts approximately 350 days.
Adult males are the most significant hazard to the tiny pups as they sometimes crush them with their enormous weight.
Elephant seal females will bite and kill pups that are not their own.
Female walruses give birth to their calves during their spring migration season.
The mother will give birth to one calf after a 15 month gestation period.
It’s uncommon for Walruses only give birth to twins, but it does rarely happen.
The calf can swim as soon as it is born.
It will swim beside its mother for the first three years of its existence.
The male calves will then live with the male herd when they reach the age of three.
At the age of 15, the male will begin to mate. Females begin to mate when they reach the age of five.
Walruses have a lifespan of up to 40 years.
Behavior
The elephant seal is a strong swimmer who has adapted well to life in the water.
The seals may be reclusive at sea, but they become more social on the beach.
They will lie close together on the sand even when they are not reproducing.
Early in December, the males arrive at rookery sites and stay for the entire breeding season, never traveling to sea to feed.
Males cannot defend vast areas or vast numbers of females because they move slowly and awkwardly on land.
Elephant seals spend a massive percentage of their lives in the ocean, up to 80% of their lifetimes to be more specific.
Elephant seals can hold their breath for longer than any other non-cetacean mammal, up to 80 minutes.
They are also excellent divers, with the ability to dive to 1500 meters below the water surface.
As they look for their favorite food, they dive to 300 to 600 meters on average.
Walruses are gregarious creatures that assemble in big groups.
They congregate in herds during the non-breeding season, with males and females forming different herds.
In threat demonstrations, they assert authority by displaying tusks, bodies, and showing extreme hostility.
Now back to the original question!
Who would win in a fight between a Walrus and an Elephant Seal?
Because these creatures would have no motive to fight each other in real life, we’ll suppose they’re fighting for some reason.
Elephant seals are the largest and most vigorous of all elephant seals, and they must battle off all challengers to maintain their right to mate with all the females on their beach.
Southern elephant males, for example, can weigh up to 7500 pounds and grow to reach over 22 feet long.
Male Pacific Walruses can weigh up to 3300 pounds and reach a length of 10.5 feet.
An elephant seal dominant male would have significantly more mass and power than a walrus, and the elephant seal is also more aggressive and combative than the walrus.
The elephant would win because its blubber would protect it from all but the most well-placed tusk jab. On the other hand, elephant seals have smaller tusks that are jagged like a boar’s and can shred enemies into ribbons. An elephant seal’s attack method, i.e. a headbutt, can be compared to a baseball bat with barbed wire on it.