Sea Elephant

Viciously territorial sea beasts that live on the small outlying islands around Orlend. They have a long trunk and two deadly tusks.

Sea elephants are fearsome sea creatures that lurk beneath the dark ocean waves. These slim beasts are one of the fastest predators in the seas and have two large tusks used to impale fish and other large mammals. Unlike their cousins on land, sea elephants can grow to be larger than local fishing vessels; their strong trunks are used for gripping their prey and crushing them.
They live in large herds of up to 2,000 members but hunt in small packs. When hunting, they will often choose to ambush young whales from all sides and grab hold of the prey with their trunks, restraining it whilst tearing it open with their deadly tusks.
Sea elephants have four large flippers that help to propel them through the ocean, but once they are ashore they struggle to move at any great speed and become more vulnerable to predators. They defend their shoreside breeding grounds by laying on their backs with their tusks pointing upward like an ivory palisade to stop attackers from coming close.
Sea elephants are a danger to fishing vessels that dump waste overboard as this can lead them to attack the ship, or worse, lead them to the city harbour.

Sea Elephant Calves

Calves are born during the spring time and weigh around 50 kg. They are able to swim from birth, but will need to be nursed for a full three years before weaning off of their mother's milk.
Sea elephant milk contains much greater levels of fats and protein in comparison to their elephant cousins on land - this helps to fatten the calf's blubber so that it can withstand the cold ocean temperatures.

Migration

In late spring and early summer, the sea elephants form huge numbers and all migrate on a long journey north towards the polar region for great hunting. They return to the warmer waters of the outlying islands in Orlend during winter for their mating season.

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Breeding Grounds

The Isles of Orlend

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The sea elephants use the smaller outlying islands as breeding grounds and are fiercely territorial. Smugglers and fishing vessels are frequently destroyed by their strong tusks during mating season, which affects the months of business in The Isles of Orlend.

Lifespan

40 years

Average Weight

2,000 - 3,000 kg