Southern Elephant Seal [Mirounga leonina]
Description
The Southern Elephant Seal is the second species of elephant seals and is the largest of all seals. Adult males can reach lengths of up to 20 feet and weights of up to 8,800 pounds. Females are much smaller, usually measuring less than 10 feet in length and weighing up to 2,000 pounds. The Southern Elephant Seal is distinguished from the Northern Elephant Seal by its greater body mass and a shorter proboscis. They inhabit the Southern Hemisphere, along the coasts of New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina. They are highly migratory and spend most of their life at sea, only returning to land for breeding, birthing, and molting.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Chordates
Chordata
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Mammals
Mammalia
|
| Order |
Carnivorans
Carnivora
|
| Family |
Earless Seals
Phocidae
|
| Genus |
Elephant Seals
Mirounga
|