Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina), Antarctic Peninsula
The largest of the Antarctic seals, the Elephant Seal is recognized by the trunk-like nose and impressive size - reaching up to 5.8 metres and weighing a maximum of 3700 kg. It spends most of its time at sea, and is far more mobile in water than on land. The Elephant Seal is able to dive up to depths of 1400m depth, lowering its heart-rate down to 1 beat per minute to reduce oxygen consumed and dive for longer.
Year: 2016
From album: Antarctic Biodiversity
Photographer: Peter Prokosch