Episode 62 | Neil the Seal - Australia's Wildest Teenager

Neil the Seal has captured hearts across Australia, but behind the viral videos is one of the ocean's most extraordinary wild animals.

In this episode, Shannon sits down with Marine Ecologist Dr Clive McMahon to uncover the science behind Australia's most famous seal. With decades of research spanning Macquarie Island and the Southern Ocean, Dr McMahon has dedicated his career to studying southern elephant seals and the changing marine environment they call home.

By fitting elephant seals with specialised tracking devices, his research does far more than reveal their incredible journeys. These remarkable animals collect vital ocean data from places that are difficult for scientists to reach, helping us better understand the health of the Southern Ocean and the impacts of climate change.

Together, we explore Neil's extraordinary story, the fascinating biology and behaviour of southern elephant seals, why wild animals sometimes find themselves in our communities, and how we can admire them without putting them at risk.

Whether you've been following Neil's adventures or simply love wildlife, this conversation will give you a new appreciation for one of Australia's most remarkable marine mammals and the critical role they play in helping us understand our changing planet.

Meet Dr Clive McMahon

Photograph by Isobel Lerpiniere courtsey of Sydney Institute of Marine Science

Dr Clive McMahon is a marine ecologist and internationally recognised expert in southern elephant seals, animal-borne ocean observing and the Southern Ocean. He is Science and Operations Manager for the NSW Intergrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) Animal Tagging Facility hosted at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) and is affiliated with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania.

With more than 30 years of experience, Dr McMahon's research has taken him to some of the world's most remote environments, including Macquarie Island and Antarctica, where he has studied the behaviour, ecology and conservation of marine mammals.

Using satellite-linked sensors fitted to southern elephant seals and other marine animals, his research not only reveals their remarkable movements and behaviour but also collects invaluable oceanographic data from regions that are difficult for ships and traditional instruments to access. These "animal-borne ocean sensors" are helping scientists better understand the health of the Southern Ocean, improve global ocean observing, and monitor the long-term impacts of climate change on one of Earth's most important marine ecosystems.

Dr McMahon has published more than 200 scientific papers and is internationally recognised for his leadership in animal-borne ocean observing, co-leading the global Animal-Borne Ocean Sensors (AniBOS) network. His work continues to shape our understanding of marine ecosystems while helping protect the wildlife and oceans that sustain them.

How elephant seals are helping us understand our changing oceans...

Photographs by Dr Clive McMahon courtsey of IMOS

Southern elephant seals are among the world's greatest ocean explorers. They spend up to 90% of their lives at sea, travelling thousands of kilometres and diving to depths of more than 2,000 metres through some of the most remote and least accessible waters on Earth.

Scientists like Dr Clive McMahon fit specially designed satellite-linked oceanographic instruments to a small number of these animals. While the tags record where the seals travel, they do much more than simply track their movements. They measure water temperature, conductivity (which scientists use to calculate salinity), depth and time, creating a detailed picture of the ocean as the seals move through it. Every time a seal surfaces to breathe, the information is transmitted via satellite, allowing researchers to receive valuable data in near real time.

This is important because much of the Southern Ocean is incredibly difficult—and often impossible—to study using traditional research vessels, moorings or autonomous floats. Elephant seals naturally travel into areas beneath sea ice and across vast stretches of ocean where scientists simply can't be all year round. In many cases, the seals are collecting information from places that would otherwise remain a mystery.

The data they collect forms part of the Global Ocean Observing System, helping scientists understand how heat is stored and transported through the oceans, how Antarctic waters circulate around the globe, and how climate change is affecting one of Earth's most important marine ecosystems. As Dr McMahon explains, the Southern Ocean is the "beating heart" of our planet, driving ocean circulation that influences weather and climate worldwide. Understanding what's happening there is essential to understanding the future of our climate.

In this way, elephant seals are doing far more than helping us learn about their own remarkable lives. They have become active partners in one of the world's most important scientific missions—collecting the information we need to better understand, protect and respond to our changing oceans.

If you haven't met Neil then where have you been?

Neil isn't just Australia's most famous seal, he's become an unlikely ambassador for one of the world's most extraordinary marine species.

Born on Tasmania's Tasman Peninsula in 2020, Neil is a young southern elephant seal whose playful antics, from wrestling traffic cones to flattening bollards, have captured the attention of millions around the world. While his behaviour might seem unusual, it's exactly what a healthy adolescent male elephant seal should be doing. In the wild, young males spend years sparring and practising before one day competing for the chance to become a beachmaster, defending a breeding harem. Without other elephant seals around, Neil has found some rather unconventional training partners.

Although he already weighs around a tonne, Neil is still growing. Adult males can eventually exceed three tonnes, making southern elephant seals the largest seals—and one of the largest carnivorous mammals—on Earth. They spend up to 90% of their lives at sea, diving to incredible depths in search of fish and squid before returning to land to rest, moult or breed.

Neil's popularity offers something far more valuable than a viral wildlife story. He has become a powerful reminder that wild animals still share our coastlines and deserve our respect. Through Neil's story—and the work of scientists like Dr Clive McMahon—we have an opportunity to learn not only about elephant seals, but also about the Southern Ocean, climate change and the remarkable role these animals play in helping us understand our changing planet.

Baby Neil with his mum as a pup

Sammy: The Southern Elephant Seal that Stole Shannon's Heart

Long before Neil became Australia's most famous elephant seal, I had a chance encounter with another young southern elephant seal named Sammy on a quiet beach near Portland, Victoria.

Watching Sammy from was one of those rare wildlife experiences that stays with you. There was no crowd, no headlines and no viral videos, just the privilege of sharing a moment with an animal that had travelled thousands of kilometres to rest on an Australian beach.

At the time, I knew very little about elephant seals. I simply knew I was looking at something extraordinary.

Meeting Sammy sparked a curiosity that eventually led me to Neil's story and to this conversation with Dr Clive McMahon. It transformed what began as a memorable wildlife encounter into a deeper understanding of these remarkable animals, the oceans they inhabit, and the important role they play in helping scientists understand our changing climate.

Like Neil, Sammy reminded me that encounters with wild animals are gifts, not guarantees. They ask nothing from us except patience, respect and the space to remain wild.