Moment two enormous male elephant seals barge and bite each other in heavyweight battle that sees invader claim the beach and its females
- Two enormous male elephant seals battled it out in South Georgia Island
- The winner claimed the beach as his own, along with its harem of females
- The fight between the seals, which can weigh four tons, was captured on video
Two enormous elephant seals slugged it out in a battle for territory and a harem of females while being filmed on the shores of South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic.
Dramatic footage shows two male southern elephant seals, which can weigh up to 8,800lb (4,000kg) and measure 19ft (5.8m) long, fighting on the beach.
Two enormous elephant seals slugged it out in a battle for territory and a harem of females while being filmed in video on the shores of South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic
In the video, shot by videographer Richard Sidey, the two seals size each other up, grunting before almost bowing to each other as a prelude to their fight.
As they collide, their rolls of fat ripple and they try to tear chunks out of each other with their teeth.
The huge beasts collided in a rippling of fat and blubber as they fought to be king of the beach
The two seals eyed each other up and grunted at each other in the cold November air before the fight
It seemed as if they were almost bowing to each other in a pre-battle ritual, although they were really readying themselves for the first blow
Male southern elephant seals, which can weigh up to 4,000 kilograms and measure three metres long. During the breeding season, adrenaline-fuelled males will fight any other male contenders to take control of a beach and the harem of females that come with it
Photographer and filmmaker Richard Sidey, from Wanaka, New Zealand, took this footage. He said: ‘One of the seals arrived at the beach, hoping to become the beach-master and gain access to the current beach-master’s harem of females’
The cameraman added: ‘Being so close to the action and these enormous creatures meant that it’s certainly one of those unforgettable moments that stick with me through my career’
Photographer and filmmaker Richard Sidey, from Wanaka, New Zealand, took this footage.
He said: ‘One of the seals arrived at the beach, hoping to become the beach-master and gain access to the current beach-master’s harem of females.
‘The challenger won the fight and claimed the beach.
‘This wonderful scene played out right in front me whilst photographing on the island.
‘I quickly set up a video camera and then got to work on the stills.
‘You can hear my shutter clicking away in the video.
‘Being so close to the action and these enormous creatures meant that it’s certainly one of those unforgettable moments that stick with me through my career.’
Elephant seals are known for their primal mating habits.
During the breeding season, adrenaline-fuelled males will fight any other male contenders to take control of a beach and the harem of females that come with it.
This is the incredible moment an elephant seal gives birth on an Argentine beach in the UNESCO Valdes Peninsula
The black pup stares into its mother’s eyes as they are both covered in sand from the beach
As her nostrils flare and her eyes open and close, the pup fully emerges from its mother in under two minutes
More astonishing footage captured the moment an elephant seal gave birth on an Argentine beach.
It quickly becomes apparent in the video that the mother is experiencing contractions as she writhes on the pebble beach in the Valdes Peninsula.
As her nostrils flare and her eyes open and close, the pup fully emerges in under two minutes.
The black pup can be seen tentatively wriggling around while the mother turns and yelps at her newborn, before the two lie side by side on the pebbly beach.
Female elephant seals give birth in September after a year-long pregnancy period.
The pup is born weighing approximately 40 kilogrammes (88 lbs) and becomes independent from its mother after 25 days.
A few days after giving birth, females can fall pregnant again.
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