The Southern Elephant Seal

Male (left), pup (middle), female (right)

Introducing the southern elephant seal! You can see from the photo, this animal is not what you think a cute "seal" is. But not all elephant seals have this kind of appearance. Their proboscis, or nose, is used for showing off and is an important part of elephant seal life. It feels squishy when you touch it. Females are normal looking seals - the males are what have the beastly expression with their proboscis. 

This marine mammal lives in the cool waters of Antarctica. Male elephant seals - which are four times heavier than females - are the largest of all seals. They can grow 21 to 23 feet long and weigh 7,000 pounds. Females usually grow about 13 to 15 feet long and weigh 2,000 pounds. The biggest male elephant seal ever was about 28 feet long and weighed 2 tons! That is as heavy as a great white shark! 

Elephant seals love to chow on squid and fish such as cod. Artic char are a favorite too. Elephant seals hunt by sneaking up on their prey and, with a strong stroke of their tail, they grab the prey before they even know what happened. They are great swimmers and have a thick layer of fat (called blubber) that keeps them warm and helps them stand the pressure of diving deep underwater. They can dive as deep as 1,970 feet! They can hold their breath for an hour and a half and are surprisingly good at spotting food by using echolocation. Their eyesight is quite weak. 

Male elephant seals make loud bellowing or roaring sounds to show aggression and also to find a mate. Male elephant seals can also inflate their large noses when roaring at their rivals. Elephant seals can be clumsy on land, so they spend a lot of their time in the water. They don't move well on land, especially dry, rocky land, because they are so large. They can move easier on ice and snow. 

Elephant seals were close to extinction in the 1800s due to overhunting, but their numbers have since improved!

Cool Fact: An elephant seal is called an elephant seal because sometimes its proboscis can look like an elephant's trunk!