Over the past few weeks, Neil the Seal has captured attention around the world.
The young southern elephant seal has become a regular feature in the news, with crowds gathering wherever he hauls himself ashore. But who is Neil? Where did he come from, why does he keep returning to Tasmania, and what exactly is a southern elephant seal?
Southern elephant seals are the largest seals on Earth, capable of diving to extraordinary depths, travelling thousands of kilometres across the Southern Ocean and surviving in some of the harshest marine environments on the planet.
Neil’s popularity has introduced many people to a species they might otherwise know very little about. To understand why he has become a global wildlife phenomenon, it helps to first understand the biology and behaviour of the species he belongs to.
Who is Neil?
Neil is a young male southern elephant seal born at Salem Bay on Tasmania’s south east coast in October 2020. Shortly before he was weaned, researchers fitted him with identification tags on both rear flippers, allowing wildlife authorities to recognise him each time he returns to Tasmania.
Unlike most Australian southern elephant seals, which are born on remote subantarctic islands such as Macquarie Island, Neil was born on mainland Tasmania. Between 1985 and 2022, only nine southern elephant seal pups were recorded as being born in Tasmania, with just five known to have successfully weaned. His birth has provided researchers with a rare opportunity to follow his growth and movements from the very beginning.
Since leaving his birthplace, Neil has returned to Tasmania each year, becoming larger and more recognisable with every visit. His appearances in populated coastal areas have attracted crowds and made him one of Australia’s best known wild animals.
Although Neil has become something of a celebrity, his behaviour is typical of a young southern elephant seal. Returning to land to rest and moult is a natural part of the species’ life cycle, and each visit gives wildlife authorities another opportunity to monitor his health and development.
What is a Southern Elephant Seal?
The southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) is one of only two elephant seal species found anywhere in the world. It belongs to the family Phocidae, commonly known as the true seals, and forms part of a larger group of marine mammals known as pinnipeds, which includes true seals, sea lions, fur seals and walruses.
Unlike sea lions and fur seals, true seals do not have external ear flaps and move on land by wriggling on their bellies rather than walking on their flippers. Southern elephant seals are superbly adapted to life in the ocean, using their streamlined bodies, powerful forequarters and thick layer of blubber to survive in some of the coldest and most challenging marine environments on Earth.
Southern elephant seals are found throughout the Southern Ocean, inhabiting the waters surrounding Antarctica and many of the subantarctic islands. The world’s largest breeding colonies occur on islands including South Georgia, Macquarie Island, Heard Island and the Kerguelen Islands, while Tasmania supports a small but significant breeding population. Although they return to land for breeding, moulting and periods of rest, they spend the vast majority of their lives at sea.
The species takes its name from the adult male’s distinctive inflatable proboscis, or nose, which resembles a short elephant’s trunk. As males mature, the proboscis becomes larger and is used to produce deep vocalisations during the breeding season, helping establish dominance over rival bulls. Neil has not yet developed a prominent proboscis because he is still a young male and has not reached full maturity.
How Big Do Southern Elephant Seals Get?
Neil already weighs around 1,000 kilograms and measures approximately three metres in length. While that makes him one of the largest wild animals most Australians are likely to ever encounter on land, he is still only a young male with several years of growth ahead of him.
Adult male southern elephant seals, known as bulls, are the largest seals on Earth. Fully grown males can exceed five metres in length and weigh more than 4,000 kilograms, although exceptionally large individuals have been recorded at even greater weights. By comparison, adult females typically measure around three metres in length and weigh between 400 and 900 kilograms.
This remarkable difference between males and females is known as sexual dimorphism, a scientific term describing species in which the two sexes differ in appearance. Southern elephant seals display one of the most extreme examples of sexual dimorphism among mammals. Mature bulls may weigh several times more than females, with their enormous size giving them a considerable advantage when competing for breeding territories and mates.
Unlike many animals where size simply helps avoid predators, the enormous size of male elephant seals evolved through sexual selection. During the breeding season, dominant bulls compete fiercely for control of breeding beaches and harems of females. Larger, stronger males are more likely to win these contests and father the next generation, driving the evolution of increasingly larger males over thousands of generations.
For Neil, that means he still has plenty of growing to do. If he survives to adulthood, he will develop the broad neck, muscular shoulders and distinctive proboscis that characterise mature bulls, becoming several times larger than he is today. Despite already attracting attention wherever he goes, Neil is still very much an adolescent in elephant seal terms.
Masters of the Deep
Although Neil has become famous for resting on beaches and hauling out in coastal towns, these visits represent only a small part of his life. Like all southern elephant seals, he spends around 80 to 90 per cent of his life at sea, travelling thousands of kilometres across the Southern Ocean in search of food.
Southern elephant seals are among the deepest diving mammals on Earth. Most dives reach depths of 300 to 800 metres, but dives exceeding 1,000 metres are common, and some individuals have been recorded diving to almost 2,400 metres. They routinely remain underwater for 20 to 30 minutes, although much longer dives have also been recorded.
Reaching such extraordinary depths requires a suite of remarkable physiological adaptations. Elephant seals carry large stores of oxygen in their blood and muscles, allowing them to stay submerged long after most marine mammals would need to surface. During deep dives, their heart rate slows dramatically in a process known as bradycardia, conserving oxygen by directing blood flow primarily to vital organs such as the brain and heart. Their lungs also collapse safely under the immense pressure at depth, helping reduce nitrogen absorption and minimising the risk of decompression sickness when they return to the surface.
Unlike many diving marine mammals, southern elephant seals are almost constantly active while at sea. Satellite tracking has shown they spend the vast majority of their time underwater, often surfacing for just a few minutes before beginning another dive. Researchers have recorded individuals completing thousands of dives during a single foraging trip, a relentless routine that reflects the extraordinary demands of life in the Southern Ocean.
Every time Neil slips beneath the surface and disappears from view, he returns to a world that few people will ever see. Far below the waves, in the cold, dark waters of the Southern Ocean, he lives the life of a true deep ocean predator.
Why Do Elephant Seals Come Ashore?
For an animal that spends most of its life at sea, it may seem surprising that southern elephant seals regularly haul themselves onto beaches and coastlines. Southern elephant seals return to land for three essential stages of their life cycle: breeding, moulting and resting between extended periods at sea.
The most demanding of these is the annual catastrophic moult. Unlike many mammals, which gradually shed their fur throughout the year, southern elephant seals shed both their fur and the outer layer of their skin over a period of several weeks. During this time, increased blood flow to the skin supports the growth of new tissue and fur, making it difficult for the seals to remain in the cold waters of the Southern Ocean. Instead, they remain ashore until the process is complete.
While hauled out, elephant seals do not feed. Instead, they survive entirely on the thick layer of blubber built up during months of foraging at sea, gradually losing a significant amount of body weight before returning to the ocean. Conserving energy during this period is essential, which is why unnecessary disturbance from people, vehicles or dogs can have such an impact.
Neil’s visits to Tasmania are part of this natural cycle. Although he often chooses beaches, parks and even roadsides instead of remote stretches of coastline, his behaviour is entirely normal for a young southern elephant seal. He is not lost, stranded or looking for food. He is simply searching for a safe place where he can complete one of the most important stages of his annual life cycle.
Once the moult is complete and his new coat has fully developed, Neil will return to the Southern Ocean, where he will spend the coming months feeding and rebuilding the energy reserves needed for the next stage of his life cycle.
Why Does Neil Keep Returning to Tasmania?
One of the questions people ask most often is why Neil keeps returning to Tasmania. Has he adopted Tasmania as his home, or is there another explanation? The answer lies in a behaviour known as site fidelity, the tendency for an animal to return repeatedly to familiar locations.
Neil was born at Salem Bay on Tasmania’s south east coast in October 2020. Like many southern elephant seals, he has continued to return to the region where he was born. Researchers have found that elephant seals often show strong fidelity to established haul out and breeding sites, returning to locations that have successfully supported important stages of their life cycle.
Exactly how southern elephant seals navigate across the vast Southern Ocean remains an active area of scientific research. While researchers know they can travel thousands of kilometres before returning with remarkable accuracy, the cues they use to navigate are not yet fully understood. Scientists believe they are likely to rely on a combination of environmental cues and spatial memory, but the precise mechanisms remain the subject of ongoing research.
What makes Neil unusual is not that he returns to Tasmania, but where he chooses to come ashore. Instead of isolated beaches or remote stretches of coastline, he has repeatedly hauled out in populated areas where his size quickly attracts attention. Wildlife experts believe these locations simply provide suitable places to rest and complete his annual moult, rather than reflecting any attraction to people or urban environments.
As Neil matures, his behaviour is likely to change. Adult bulls spend much of their lives travelling between feeding grounds and breeding colonies, and the places they choose to haul out can vary throughout their lives. For now, however, Neil is simply following instincts that have guided southern elephant seals for millions of years.
Is It Safe to Approach Neil?
Although Neil has become one of Australia’s most recognisable wild animals, he should never be approached. NRE Tasmania advises people to stay at least 20 metres away from all seals, while dogs should be kept on a lead and at least 50 metres away. These distances help protect both the animal and the public.
Neil is not naturally aggressive, but like any wild animal he may become defensive if he feels threatened or cornered. Although he often appears calm while resting ashore, his behaviour can be unpredictable if he is startled or disturbed. He is also an exceptionally large and powerful animal, capable of moving surprisingly quickly over short distances. Even an accidental movement could cause serious injury.
Southern elephant seals display clear behaviours when they are becoming uncomfortable or feeling threatened. Raising the head, vocalising, opening the mouth or moving towards a disturbance are all warning signs that the animal needs more space. These behaviours are defensive responses, not acts of aggression, and should always be respected.
Dogs present a particular concern. Even well behaved pets can cause unnecessary stress by barking or approaching too closely, while an interaction between a large seal and a dog could have serious consequences for both animals. For this reason, NRE Tasmania recommends keeping dogs on a lead and at least 50 metres away from seals.
The safest and most rewarding way to experience Neil is from a respectful distance. Watching him behave naturally not only protects his welfare but also allows everyone to appreciate one of Australia’s most impressive marine mammals without interfering with the very behaviours that make him so fascinating.
Why Neil Needs Space
Giving Neil space is about far more than public safety. Every time he hauls himself ashore, he is relying on a limited supply of stored energy to complete an important stage of his life cycle. During his annual catastrophic moult, Neil is not feeding. Instead, he survives entirely on the thick layer of blubber accumulated during months of foraging in the Southern Ocean.
Each time Neil is disturbed and forced to move, he uses valuable energy reserves that cannot be replaced until he returns to sea. While a single disturbance may seem insignificant, repeated interruptions from curious crowds, drones, vehicles or dogs can increase stress and reduce the amount of time he spends resting. Wildlife authorities therefore work to minimise disturbance, allowing him to complete his moult as naturally as possible.
People are also asked never to feed Neil or encourage close interactions for photographs. Southern elephant seals are wild marine mammals that have evolved to survive without human assistance. Feeding or attempting to interact with them can alter their natural behaviour and place both people and the animal at unnecessary risk.
Ultimately, the greatest kindness we can show Neil is simply to let him be. By giving him the time and space he needs, we allow him to complete his moult, return to the Southern Ocean in good condition and continue the remarkable life that has made him one of Australia’s most famous wild animals.
The Future of Southern Elephant Seals
For much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, southern elephant seals were hunted extensively throughout the Southern Ocean for their blubber, which was rendered into oil for use in lamps and industry. Intensive commercial sealing caused severe declines at many breeding colonies before international protection allowed populations to recover during the twentieth century.
Today, southern elephant seals face a very different set of challenges. Long term monitoring has shown that while some breeding populations have remained relatively stable, others, including Australia’s largest breeding colony on Macquarie Island, have experienced significant declines over recent decades. Researchers believe no single factor is responsible. Instead, changing ocean conditions, shifting prey availability and broader environmental changes across the Southern Ocean are likely to be influencing population trends.
More recently, highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) has emerged as a new threat. Overseas outbreaks have caused devastating mortality events among seabirds and marine mammals, including southern elephant seals at major breeding colonies. These events highlight how rapidly new diseases can affect wildlife populations and reinforce the importance of ongoing surveillance and international collaboration. If you’d like to learn more about the arrival of H5N1 in Australia and its potential impacts on native wildlife, you can read our article on Australian Mammals at Risk from H5N1 Bird Flu.
Despite these challenges, there is reason for optimism. Southern elephant seals remain one of the best studied marine mammals in the Southern Hemisphere, with decades of research helping scientists understand their biology, behaviour and population trends. Every tagged seal contributes to that knowledge. Animals like Neil provide valuable information about survival, movement, growth and habitat use, helping researchers better understand how the species is responding to a changing environment.
More Than Just a Famous Seal
Neil the Seal has become one of Australia’s most recognisable wild animals, but his story is about far more than one curious seal resting on a Tasmanian beach. His annual visits have offered a rare glimpse into the life of a species that spends most of its time hidden beneath the surface of the Southern Ocean.
Neil will almost certainly return to Tasmania. When he does, his visit will no doubt attract plenty of attention. With a better understanding of why he is here and what he needs, we can all play a small part in ensuring his stay is as safe as possible, while allowing him to remain exactly what he has always been: a wild animal.
Editorial Note: Wild Island is committed to publishing accurate, evidence based wildlife information. This article has been researched using authoritative sources, including government agencies, scientific institutions and peer reviewed literature. The information in this article was verified at the time of publication and will be updated if significant new evidence or guidance becomes available.
Image Credits: Wild Island gratefully acknowledges Sam Volker Photography for generously granting permission to use the photographs of Neil the Seal featured throughout this article. All photographs were taken responsibly using a long telephoto lens from a distance greater than 20 metres, demonstrating the respectful wildlife viewing practices encouraged throughout this article.
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