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Southern Elephant Seal

The elephant seal is known for its signature nose, called a proboscis, that can resemble an elephant’s trunk! But did you know that only male elephant seals grow these distinctive sniffers? Male seals use these proboscises to make loud sounds to ward off other males.

 

Southern elephant seals are the largest seals in the world! Males can weigh up to 3,700 kilograms (8,157 pounds) and can grow to be up to 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) long. In contrast, females are much smaller, typically just over 2 meters (6.6 feet) long. They’re even born big — at birth, southern elephant seal pups can weigh a whopping 39.9 kilograms (88 pounds), and in under a month, they can be as much as 220 kilograms (485 pounds). 

While these seals usually appear brown, because of their short brown fur, when they molt, or shed their fur, it is revealed that their skin is actually grey like an elephant’s! These marine mammals are strong swimmers prefer icy waters. They live mostly in waters off Antarctica, southern South Africa, South America, and Australia. They spend almost all their time at sea, where they hunt for squid and fish. These seals only come to land in large numbers to molt, mate, give birth, and take care of their young. When resting in the ocean, they prefer float on ice. 

 

 

Southern elephant seals are not currently endangered according to the IUCN Red List. Due to their remote habitats, southern elephant seals do not face many threats, although experts warn that overfishing might deplete species that southern elephant seals eat such as squid.

 

 

Oceana campaigns to restore ocean abundance and to promote responsible fishing. By increasing the number of fisheries with management plans and catch limits, we can ensure that wildlife like elephant seals have the prey they need to survive and thrive. Learn more about Oceana’s campaigns here.  

 

 

 

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