Elephant Seal
Elephant Seal PhotoJulie Larsen Maher ©WCSVet in Argentina PhotoWCS Field veterinarian Marcela Uhart examines a male southern elephant seal at Peninsula Valdez, Argentina.Julie Larsen Maher ©WCS ...
Elephant Seals
Elephant seals get their name from the adult males, which have a nose that looks rather like a short elephant trunk.
Elephant Seal Facts
Kingdom:
Five groups that classify all living things...
Elephant Seal
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
or sea elephant, a true seal of the genus Mirounga. It is the largest of the fin-footed mammals, or pinnipeds, exceeding the walrus in size.
ELEPHANT SEAL
There are two species of elephant seal living in the southern and northern hemisphere respectively. This southern elephant seal, M. leonina, is found in Antarctic waters, while the northern species, M.
Elephant Seal Range
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Fast Facts
Type: Mammal Diet: Carnivore Average life span in the wild: 9 years (northern); 20 to 22 years (southern) Size: Up to 20 ft (6 m) Weight: Up to 8, ...
Elephant Seals of Point Reyes National Seashore
While sailing along the Pacific coast in the 1800s, a whale and seal hunter named Charles Scammon reported seeing northern elephant seals from Baja California in Mexico to Point Reyes in California.
Elephant seals are renowned for their deep dives. Their main food, squid and bottom-dwelling fish, is usually found at depth. They are sometimes preyed upon by killer whales.
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Elephant seals once ranged from Magdalena Bay Baja California to the San Francisco Bay region.
Southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina (Linnaeus, 1758), are named for their elephant trunk-like nose. Southern elephant seal adult males are larger than the females, and sizes also range within the same sex in this species.
Southern Elephant Seal
Mirounga leonina
The Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) is a huge beast. Males can be 14 or 15 feet long and weigh 7000 pounds or more. Females average 7 to 8 feet long and weight 1500 pounds or so.
Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris)
No photo of the Northern Elephant Seal available.
Southern elephant seal males weigh 8 to 10 times more than females, which is the biggest weight difference of any mammal. Both sexes can dive very deep, and regularly reach depths between 400 to 1,500 metres. They can even sleep underwater.
Notes
Elephant Seals can dive to a depth of 1,500m and stay under water for over an hour. Dives are more commonly up to 20-25 minutes at depths up to 350-650m.
Classification
Class: ...
The Northern Elephant Seal is a huge seal that lives in the Pacific Ocean (above 30 degrees North latitude). This marine mammal has very thick blubber.
ELEPHANT SEAL, NORTHERN
The Northern Elephant Seal is a huge seal that lives in the northern Pacific Ocean.
ERMINE
Also known as stoat or short-tailed weasel, this tiny, ferocious mammal lives in cold areas.
The elephant seal is the most massive of all the pinniped species - which includes all seals, sea lions and walruses.
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Leopard seals are among the top predators in the Antarctic ocean preying on fish, penguins and other seal species.
Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina)
Southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus)
Antarctic tern (Sterna vittata)
Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus)
Grey-headed albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma)
Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) ...
Northern Elephant Seal
Order: Carnivora
Family: Phocidae
Mirounga angustirostris - males fighting (right); female (left) with subadult just behind her
Click to enlarge. (96 kb) ...
Pinnipeds: Elephant Seals, Harbor Seals (Phocidae), Stellar Sea Lions (Eumetopais jubata) Otariidae, Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) Otariidae, California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) Otariidae ...
seal (Erignathus barbatus), the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), the harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) the hooded seal (Cystophora cristata), the ringed seal (Phoca hispida), and the more unusual northern Elephant seal ...
Members of this family vary tremendously in size, from small ringed seals, which weigh around 90 kg, to massive elephant seals, the males of which weigh up to 3600 kg and are the largest of the pinnipeds. Their bodies are streamlined ("fusiform").
Phocidae " true (earless) seals, elephant seals Canidae " dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes, dingos Ursidae " bears, panda Procyonidae " raccoons, kinkajous, ringtails, coatis Mustelidae " weasels, ferrets, skunks, badgers, otters, ...
Southern Elephant Seals and King Penguins are in the background. The female below next is scratching, while another male at Gold Harbor keeps a wary eye on me.
The largest pinniped, the male southern elephant seal, can weigh as much as 5 1/2 tons. Its distinctive nose, which resembles an elephant's trunk, inflates when roaring to ward off male rivals during breeding season.
The largest member of the Pinniped family is the Elephant Seal, the males of this species can grow to be 13 - 16 feet long. The smallest member is the Baikal Seal which grows to be just 3 - 4 feet long.
Male seals are called 'Bulls'.
Fur Seals and Elephant Seals. The crosses on the mountain and a sign that read "Emergency Store Please do not enter. Our lives depend." remind you that not all the days are so peaceful and sunny.
View looking down at Elephant Seal Beach, Santa Barbara Island
Dormant Giant Coreopsis, Santa Barbara Island, early summer
Description ...
Longest Migration
Arctic terns migrate to and from the Antarctic-about 22,000 miles round trip-each year. Among mammals, gray whales and northern elephant seals are the migration champions, traveling up to 13,000 miles round trip each year.
The length of lactation in phocids ranges from 28 days in the Northern Elephant Seal to just 3-5 days in the Hooded Seal. The nursing period is ended by the mother, who departs to sea and leaves her pup at the breeding site.
On the Atlantic coast of South America, as well as on islands of the Indian Ocean, killer whales have been observed lunging through the surf " and coming right onto the beach " in pursuit of elephant seals and sea lions.
This lets the normally aggressive male know that she is not aggressive! And the Winner Is... Male elephant seals go through a series of vocal and visual displays of aggression when they are competing for a mate.
 See also: Elephant, Coyote, Wolf, Mongoose, Jaguar
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