Mumbai, May 8: A new research has suggested that Extreme polygamy may be driving male southern elephant seals to early deaths. Male elephant seals are killing themselves with sex as the mating season nears, causing a drastic decrease in the seal population. This is also resulting in more and more elephant seals dying young. The study shows these sex-mad male seals usually survive up to 10 years.

The species exhibits “extreme polygyny”, a sexual behaviour in which a small proportion of the largest and most dominant males control harems of breeding females. The marine mammals guard partners and their pups - as well as the beach they live on from rivals. They can also incur injuries during fights with other males. Rare Animal Found in Ladakh, Netizens Believe It To Be Tibetian Lynx After Video Goes Viral.

The male elephant seals defend harems of up to 50 females during the breeding season and fight with other males to continue their dominance. According to the study, the five-ton creatures don’t eat for three months because they stay on land during the breeding season. The study found dominant males usually stay alive for up to 10 years and die younger when their harems are bigger. New York: Cow Escapes Slaughter House Vehicle, Gets Placed in Skylands Animal Sanctuary in New Jersey (Watch Video).

According to a study, around 14,000 southern elephant seals were observed at Macquarie Island in the south-western Pacific, and it was found that while survival rates for males and females are roughly comparable for juveniles, male survival rapidly decreased after eight years of age, dropping to about a 50% annual survival rate, while female survival remained constant at 80%.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 08, 2023 03:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).