Extreme polygamy may be driving male southern elephant seals to early deaths, new research suggests. The researchers believe the competitive pressures on maturing males drive them to gain weight as quickly as possible, resulting in lower survival rates because the males forage at sea in areas that may put them at higher risk of predation. “Adult males concentrate their foraging effort in shallower waters.
These highly productive locations are frequented by other marine predators, such as orcas … and sleeper sharks,” they wrote.
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