The Secret Behind Elephant Seals Migration

Stefan Chen tells us about how Elephant Seals travel using their own, built-in GPS.
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Elephant seals are among the only known animals on earth to migrate twice a year, but how they do it makes the already incredible feat even more astounding.
Hosted by: Stefan Chen
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[@WSNO]

The thumbnail is a work of surrealist photoshop art. Bravo scischow, you pulled a Cadillac and designed it with art AND science

[@khanhnguyenqk]

Now I can explain to people why I drive around with an elephant seal in my car

[@marilynlucero9363]

Same here, this has been a weight lift off of my shoulder! ...one of them.

[@geekdivaherself]

...and why you always know when to turn around to get back in time!

[@A.Filthy.Casual]

This is why ancient mariners used to ask elephant seal harems for directions--all makes sense now

[@mebreevee]

*takes a breath and raises finger* I don’t think- *gives up*

[@pedroarjona6996]

All of you can stop boasting, we all have understood that your cars are very big and you have space for a half a ton monster in it.

[@Master_Therion]

My car's GPS is in the dashboard. Elephant seals keep their GPS in the trunk.

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

Loving the thumbnails, guys!

[@tuxuhds6955]

These guys are moving out TWICE a year, Every year, and you think that their innate Waze is the amazing thing here? We've moved in too, several years ago, and I'm still crying at night whenever we're talking about a relocation!

[@anyascelticcreations]

Wow. Supper cool. If I wasn't about to crash I'd watch all the other videos he mentioned too. 👍

[@zomb_bree7950]

Idk why but I never imagined them actually swimming

[@OakenTome]

I don’t think I’ve seen much if any footage of them swimming. The on-land behaviour is what catches our attention so that’s what gets the spotlight I guess.

[@anyascelticcreations]

@@OakenTome I think I've seen footage of them swimming, but if I remember correctly, they didn't look as easily distinguishable that way. So, it might not leave as much impression as seeing them on land. 🤷‍♀️

[@Solace6428]

Its 3 am and I should be sleeping, but this is just too interesting to pass up

[@det.halligan]

Man that's impressive, how can they link up to our satellites?

[@ericthompson3982]

That's what the whiskers are for.

[@anyascelticcreations]

With the whiskers, of course.

[@anyascelticcreations]

@@ericthompson3982 omg, I didn't read yours before I wrote mine! 🤣 Great minds think alike!

[@marcusw.4286]

I love seals and love learning about them!!!

[@pootisbirb6821]

Imagine the surprise when swarms of aquatic animals are shown to be swimming under continents like they are swimming in sinkhole locations.

[@marxtheenigma873]

How do they feel the magnetic field exactly? Once I had a dream where I was a bird and there was something in my head that always pulled in a single direction, presumably North. I wonder if that's how it works?

[@Myname-il9vd]

Senses can be really well for lack of a better word, sensitive, so I’m guessing for example with birds as those little bits of magnetized metal try to align with the magnetic field of earth they can feel the force, and their brains to all the work of turning that into information about their location and heading

[@anyascelticcreations]

That sounds like a really cool dream! I wonder if it was somehow connected to some real experience. Like a past life. Or a bird that is alive now. Or if you were feeling the magnetic field for real and that's how your brain interpreted it. Either way, it's really cool!

[@chrisellingwood7636]

I seriously question the videos assumption that the seals are timing their arrival at the beach so that their babies get born five days later. Rather, it makes a lot more sense, that arriving at the beach would trigger the birthing process - which takes five days on average.

[@whydontyouhandledeez]

Yeah we can artificially induce or delay births with chemicals so it's reasonable that the same ability could evolve naturally.

[@ZuSim]

Exactly. What if they catch one of those returning seals and release it in two days. It would reach the shore two days later. Will the birth be in three days, in sync with its original group of seals, or in five days?

[@recreantjournals6723]

I hypothesize the key to figuring this out is examining their whiskers. Foxes cats and seals use whiskers to navigate their environment. I believe that's how they can tell .

[@superjnovaannularaurora9065]

Alien: How do human know when to return home? They do the same routine everyday.

[@airlink2142]

So G.P.S - Giant Pregnant Seal?

[@seanpoore2428]

How is it that the ad still plays when I have no internet? :|

[@benypenaloza3182]

Hear me out. Elephant seal as our Uber drivers

[@Sinaeb]

the first half of the video is just called counting days

[@chrisellingwood7636]

Exactly. There's no evidence for them knowing their location. Just the distance traveled which could be based on time.

[@Soreshy]

Now I know who to ask for help when I need directions.

[@samwill7259]

Funny they adopted GPS so readily considering their often...adversarial relationship with cars.

[@daniellee8162]

They're like a blubber submarine

[@windsthatblowby]

Maybe I can finally tell the difference between left and right if I become an elephant seal 🤣. I seriously can’t tell the difference tho

[@melorawr1608]

I always have to put up my pointer finger and thumb to figure out left from right. I'm 24 lol.

[@anyascelticcreations]

@@melorawr1608 Exactly. The left held held like that forms an "L". I've never had trouble remembering left and right, but I've known people who did. It's east and west that get me. Got anything for that? Lol

[@Solace6428]

@@melorawr1608 theres no shame in that! I only learned mine properly when I learnt how to drive, and had to be able to know which was which immediately. It took me YEARS to master

[@Solace6428]

@@anyascelticcreations there's mnemonics that can explain it, that are always read as though they were clockwise around a compass. An example of this is "(N)ever (E)at (S)oggy (W)affles". Those kinds of things helped me a lot in remembering which was which.

[@anyascelticcreations]

@@Solace6428 Oh, that does help a lot! Thank you! 🤗

[@blonblonjik9313]

No magnetic fields tells direction not location, on such a small beach the orientation of the field is the same

[@RubyDoobieScoo]

Did Apple maps get my GPS mixed up with an elephant seal's GPS?

[@theperfectbotsteve4916]

GPS: GLOBAL POSITIONING SLEALS

[@sf1629]

Only known animal to make 2 migrations a year? What about every bird who migrates south for winter, then again migrates back north for summer?

[@geekdivaherself]

There and back = one migration, I believe.

[@that1geekychick]

Elephant seals apparently make two trips to their feeding grounds and back per year: once to molt, and once to breed.

[@RaulGarcia-ns3zv]

1:13 that's a potato

[@stax6092]

Cool.

[@Deeer69420]

Wow, gps

[@dracodracarys2339]

no wonder elephant seals hate cars, they like smashing them for plagiarizing their GPS

[@arcanondrum6543]

"This American Life" had a story of a Tribe of people who developed that sense as well. We DO lose our abilities quickly. I used to be a terrific speller, auto-correct has made me rusty. Young people today seem to have NO Sense of Physical Direction - not even if I hint about the Sun.

[@lenabreijer1311]

It is something you have to taught to use and to practice using. Like with music, you can be innately musical but you still need training.

[@ESL-O.G.]

Ok Boomer! JK. I'm old

[@twocvbloke]

Ah yes, the Global Positioning Seal network... :P

[@alto7183]

Esas hembras son rudas, nadar embarazadas y pasando hambre.

[@irlshrek]

What if we tied magnets to one of their heads and see if it gets lost?

[@randomchannel83838]

We all do 👁‍🗨🤭🙋‍♀️🤟

[@goldpieceleo]

This show still doesn't explain how elephant seal navigates their way.

[@clo7263]

👋 hi

[@shivpatel5413]

just take a look at the obvious info, already watched the vid.

[@claudioishimori]

This is a science channel, right? Because I clicked to have an answer, but I just saw a bunch of "maybe". For a science channet should have more accuracy in the information, shouldn't? Normally I do appreciate this channel, but this time I got a little disappointed.

[@ariezweatherford6861]

I am speed

[@502rharsh4]

fist comment good information