#252 / A Lesson From The Elephant Seals

I enjoyed an article that ran in the Sunday, August 23rd edition of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. It reported on recent work by UCSC scientists who, since the days of Burney LeBoeuf, have been doing research on the elephant seal populations that come each year to Año Nuevo, just north of the line that divides Santa Cruz County from San Mateo County. The article was titled, "Male elephant seals use voices to identify rivals, UCSC study finds."

Learning more about elephant seals is always worthwhile, in and of itself. However, in this article, I seemed to find, also, some helpful information from the elephant seals, whose counsel could assist the United States as it confronts international relations in a hostile world: 

They found that male elephant seals responded aggressively to subordinate male elephant seals, but backed away when hearing the call of a dominant rival. The system not only works well at preserving peace and avoiding injury — only about 5 percent of interactions lead to physical contact — it also helps them conserve energy. The cost of conflict is very high and resolution through communication saves a tremendous amount of energy,” said Colleen Reichmuth, study co-author and director of the Pinniped Cognition and Sensory Systems Laboratory at UCSC.

Let's hope the presidential candidates read the Sentinel, and learn this lesson from the elephant seals: 

The cost of conflict is very high and resolution through communication saves a tremendous amount of energy.

Image Credit:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/environment-and-nature/20150822/male-elephant-seals-use-voices-to-identify-rivals-ucsc-study-finds