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What higher place to spend a day in restoration than a nook of heat rocks beside the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony?
It has been 16 years since an elephant seal was noticed taking part in off the coast in Oamaru, however yesterday one giant pinniped got here ashore and put his giant shops of fats on show for a complete day.
The behemoth shocked and wowed residents and vacationers alike. Apart from a number of yawns and a little bit of jiggling round, he barely moved all through the day.
Penguin Colony setting group chief Henry Elsom stated the younger seal was comparatively small and doubtless solely weighed about 1000kg, whereas mature males may develop to 4000kg.
Apart from his weight, a key indicator of his youth was the dearth of a proboscis, the “lengthy dangly bit” on the seal’s nostril.
He had probably travelled from Macquarie Island, midway between New Zealand and Antarctica, the place a big colony lives.
He was first seen at Bushy Seaside on Sunday evening.
Elephant seals may dive as much as 800m and spent most of their life at sea.
Though all the common fur seals scattered upon his arrival, the younger seal wouldn’t be robust sufficient to intimidate members of his personal species and be allowed to mate.
The largest and strongest males held a haram and the customer wouldn’t have an opportunity to breed for not less than a few years.
The seal regarded “fairly comfy” and would in all probability nonetheless be there this morning, Mr Elsom stated.
He didn’t anticipate the seal to make any hassle for the penguins once they returned to nest within the night.
The final time an elephant seal was seen within the district was in 2018, when one determined to relaxation upstream of the Kakanui Bridge.
wyatt.ryder@odt.co.nz
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