COSMOS MAGAZINE
Thousands of years ago, Aotearoa New Zealand’s shores were teeming with elephant seals, fur seals, and penguins, but today, elephant seals are mostly found in the sub-Antarctic and far South America.
Credit: David Merron Photography
Using ancient DNA and fossil evidence, scientists have tracked seal populations over the last 11,000 years, uncovering their migration patterns and responses to environmental changes.
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Ice Ages forced the seals to relocate, but their range shrank further due to Indigenous hunting and European industrial sealing, pushing them toward extinction.
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While protected today, elephant seals face new threats from climate change, highlighting the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect the Southern Ocean ecosystem.
Credit: Getty