Most fights last just a few minutes. Eventually one male will submit to the other by running away. Some fights last longer, again, ending when one exhausted male flees. Occasionally, as happened on the beach we were studying, a male will be killed by the other.
Fights involve pushing and shoving and bumping each other.
The neck area is thick, giving protection against the vicious bites the seal may receive. In one case, an older bull had his nose almost completely torn off. There are the rare times when one will be killed in these battles for dominance. The pictures shown here are of a fight that lasted over 30 minutes. One can easily see the blood flowing from both combatants as the battle raged.