Polyamorous male seals are dying earlier than they would normally as they try and keep up with a harem of around 100 females, research shows.
A study of 14,000 southern elephant seals at Macquarie Island in the south-western Pacific, found that although survival rates for males and females are roughly comparable for juveniles, male survival rapidly decreased after eight years of age.
Their survival rate dropped to around 50%, while female survival remained constant at 80%.
