Cambridge Encyclopedia :: Cambridge Encyclopedia Vol. 23

elephant seal

A huge true seal; adult male up to 6 m/20 ft long, weight 3700 kg/8150 lb; swollen pendulous snout (more pronounced during breeding season); two species: the sea elephant or southern elephant seal from the sub-Antarctic (Mirounga leonina), and the northern elephant seal from the NE Pacific (Mirounga angustirostris.) (Family: Phocidae.)

?Elephant Seals

Southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Pinnipedia
Family: Phocidae
Genus: Mirounga
Species

M. The Southern Elephant Seal is found in the southern hemisphere on islands such as South Georgia, Macquarie Island, and on the coasts of New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina in the Peninsula Valdés, which is the fourth largest elephant seal colony in the world and the only growing population.

Media

Northern Elephant seal in California

Elephant seals hauled out on a beach

Vagrant adolescent male Elephant seal resting up on Campbell Island, New Zealand

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mirounga angustirostris Elephant seals mating (file info) Elephant seals mating on a beach near San Simeon, California, USA In case of problems, see media help.

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