Southern Elephant Seal
Mirounga leonina
Adult southern elephant seals gather on subantarctic beaches and Antarctic shores to breed, molt, and rest between long ocean foraging trips. They dive deeply to hunt squid, fish, and other cephalopods, with females typically feeding far offshore while huge males defend breeding areas on land. Males use their inflatable proboscis to produce loud calls and may engage in forceful chest-to-chest fights; they are among the most sexually dimorphic mammals.
- Type
- Water / Brute
- Conservation status
- VU
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Southern Elephant Seal