Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) are the largest species of true seal - mature males grow to 5.8 metres (19 feet) long and weigh up to 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds), and are typically five to six times heavier than females. Pregnant females come ashore in September or October to give birth to a single pup, that is weaned in about a month, and then left behind as its mother and dominant bulls return to sea. Weaned pups, called ‘Weaners’, weigh 150-200 kilograms (330-440 pounds) and live off their body fat until hunger forces them to sea to fend for themselves. The Falkland Islands supports a small population of Southern Elephant Seals, mostly on Seal Lon Island, although these youngsters were on Carcass Island in the north-west Falklands. This group of weaner and young male Elephant Seals were lying on beached algae amongst the rocks at North West Point on Carcass Island in the West Falklands. A strong wind was blowing as it always does in the Falklands in summer. One subadult male was away from the main group, and bulldozed his way back to the others through the slush of rotting algae, burying his head in the mush as he went. I have no idea why – it must have smelt awful! He was accompanied by a small brown Tussacbird or Blackish Cinclodes (Cinclodes antarcticus) that was hunting for insects amongst the algal wrack.