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Why is an elephant seal louder than a jet plane?

Just imagine: on the icy beach of Antarctica lies a creature weighing 4 tons - it's like two SUVs combined! The head is large, the muzzle is wrinkled, and in place of the nose is a real inflatable trunk, like an elephant's. That's why they called it an elephant seal. Females are much smaller, only about a ton, but they are also real giants.

And now for the loudest. A male elephant seal roars at 126 decibels. That's louder than a jet plane taking off! Your ears would hurt from 50 meters away. This is how he warns other males: "This beach is mine, don't come near!" If the opponent doesn't listen, the battle begins. The two giants stand on their tails, raise their upper bodies two meters and fight with their chests and tusks.

The trunk serves as an amplifier of the voice - like a trumpet. The larger the trunk, the more terrible the roar and the more females nearby. One winner can have up to 100 girlfriends on the beach!

And elephant seals are real diving champions. They dive to a depth of 1,500 meters — it's like going down a mountain for an hour and a half without air! The heart slows down to 4 beats per minute. Scientists didn't believe these figures for a long time, until they hooked special sensors to the seals.

The next time you hear a loud noise, think: somewhere in the Southern Ocean lies a giant with a nose and a trunk, and its roar can be heard for kilometers. There are creatures in nature, next to which even the loudest airplane is a quiet mouse.