Difference between revisions of "Template:POTD protected"

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The '''[[Balleny Islands]]''' are a series of uninhabited islands in the [[Southern Ocean]]. The islands are heavily glaciated and of volcanic origin. [[glacier|Glaciers]] project from their slopes into the sea. The islands became a colony when [[Westarctica]] formally annexed it from New Zealand on 14 January 2005. [[Duke of Sherman|Jorge Fernandez Vidal]] was appointed its Governor, and following the first successful minting of the Balleny Islands coin, Vidal was given the title Count of Sturge.
The '''[[southern elephant seal]]''' is one of the two species of elephant seals. It is the largest member of the clade Pinnipedia and the order Carnivora, as well as the largest marine mammal that is not a cetacean. It gets its name from its massive size and the large proboscis of the adult male, which is used to produce very loud roars, especially during the breeding season.


Two symbols were created by the Governor of the Balleny Islands shortly after they were annexed by Westarctica: the coat of arms and the flag. The coat of arms features heraldic devices from Spain, France, and the region where Mr. Vidal was born, as well as an [[emperor penguin]], the symbol of Westarctica. The flag of the islands is the 2004 - 2008 flag of Westarctica with the colors reversed and the coat of arms of the Balleny Islands in the upper left quadrant in place of the crown of Westarctica.
The world population was estimated at 650,000 animals in the mid-1990s, and was estimated in 2005 at between 664,000 and 740,000 animals. Studies have shown the existence of three geographic subpopulations, one in each of the three oceans. Tracking studies have indicated the routes traveled by elephant seals, demonstrating their main feeding area is at the edge of the Antarctic continent. While elephant seals may come ashore in [[Antarctica]] occasionally to rest or to mate, they gather to breed in subantarctic locations.


<p><small>Image Author: [[Duke of Sherman]] </small></p>
<p><small>Photographer: Liam Quinn</small></p>
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Latest revision as of 03:24, 2 May 2024

Elephant Seal penguins.jpg

The southern elephant seal is one of the two species of elephant seals. It is the largest member of the clade Pinnipedia and the order Carnivora, as well as the largest marine mammal that is not a cetacean. It gets its name from its massive size and the large proboscis of the adult male, which is used to produce very loud roars, especially during the breeding season.

The world population was estimated at 650,000 animals in the mid-1990s, and was estimated in 2005 at between 664,000 and 740,000 animals. Studies have shown the existence of three geographic subpopulations, one in each of the three oceans. Tracking studies have indicated the routes traveled by elephant seals, demonstrating their main feeding area is at the edge of the Antarctic continent. While elephant seals may come ashore in Antarctica occasionally to rest or to mate, they gather to breed in subantarctic locations.

Photographer: Liam Quinn

(More Images)