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3.94sComing up next, the hilarious antics of the elephant seal,
2.17sthe clown of the sea.
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2.49sNARRATOR: Of all the spectacles in nature,
2.97sfew can match the mating ritual of the elephant seal.
4.6sCertainly not the salmon. And the tortoise? Yeah, right.
7.07sThe huge, lumbering males defend patches of beach to deny their rivals access to the breeding grounds.
1.87sJust as in human society,
4.67sonly the biggest, most obnoxious males have any chance of mating.
2.4sAw, yeah! Survival of the fattest!
2.84sThe dominant male, or "beachmaster,"
3smaintains a harem of up to 50 females.
5.42sOkay, harem, let's get to it. Form an orderly heap on top of me.
3.52sI like mating with Beachmaster 'cause he's the largest.