Southern Elephant Seal Facts
- This magnificently massive mammal is most often known by the simultaneously informative and descriptive title of Southern Elephant Seal. It has no other currently accepted general name. At one time, though, some knew it as the bottle-nosed seal.I
- Within the scientific community, however, it’s often better known by its technical appellation. Unfortunately, that, like many such, is somewhat hard for the layperson to pronounce. That’s because it holds the official moniker of Mirounga leonina.
- The powerful pinniped received that moderately tongue-twisting epither due to the efforts of Carl Linnaeus. The Swedish zoologist accomplished the first recognition of it as a separate and distinct species. That noteworthy deed occurred in 1758.
- Regardless of which of these designations one uses, it remains an extraordinary creature. It presently represents the largest known surviving marine mammal that isn’t a cetacean. That statistic alone distinguishes it from its relatives around the globe.
- For the moment, the marvelous Southern Elephant Seal appears to be maintaining a population base that’s currently sufficient. That situation also seems to hold true throughout the entirety of its range. The IUCN thus lists the animal as Least Concern.
- That situation might change in the near future, however. That’s due to the fact that its population shows a steady decline for as yet undetermined reasons. The amazing mammal also now faces the same threats from climate change as all species on earth.
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Southern Elephant Seal Physical Description
The remarkable Southern Elephant Seal never fails to impress and amaze those fortunate enough to view one. Like many of its kindred, though, it does so for several reasons. The awesome animal boasts both an intriguing appearance and astonishing physical size.
It also stands out in that particular regard, as well. This pinniped displays what’s likely the greatest degree of the phsyiological trait of sexual dimorphism of any mammal! In its specific case, this characteristic manifests itself in terms of sheer body measurements.
That’s true since males of the fascinating species attain an average body mass of 5 -6 times that of the female! Their cousins, the Northern Elephant Seal, follow a similar pattern. Among that species, though, males only reach 3 -4 times the mass of the females.
The males of this species, however, also known as bulls, typically range in weight from an astounding 3,300 – 8,200 lb (1,500 – 3,700 kg). Yet the females merely manage masses averaging from approximately 770 – 1,980 lb (350 – 900 kg). Still impressive, though!
But it’s not just the weight of this breathtaking creation of Nature that draws attention. It’s also possessed of a lengthy body, as well. Being smaller, femles average 8.5 – 9.8 ft (2.6 – 3 m) in length. The males, meanwhile, have mean lengths of 14 – 19 ft (4.2 – 5.8 m).
Otherwise, the genders of the Southern Elephant Seal present the same general appearance to the observer. The fur of newborns shows black, while that of adults displays a mix of brown and gray. Yet, among older individuals, this has a leather-like texture.
The animal also displays the highly enlarged proboscis, though still smaller than its cousin. The eyes evolved as black, rounded, and comparatively large. Its hind limbs merge into the tail and fin, while each of the fins that serve as feet has five long, webbed fingers.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Family: Phocidae
- Genus: Mirounga
- Species: M. leonina
Southern Elephant Seal Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology
The stunning Southern Elephant Seal evolved as native to a comparatively remote range of the earth’s surface. The precise zone of habitation likely won’t surprise many people, though. That’s because, as its name implies, it developed as native to the southern areas.
In point of fact, it possesses a circumpolar distribution. It’s principally found on subantarctic islands. These include such locations as Prince Edward Island and the Falkland Islands. In other parts of its range, this includes Macquarie Island and the Auckland Islands.
This decidedly impressive creation of Nature and evolution dwells in a harsh, normally inhospitable environment. Most individuals spend the vast majority of their time at sea. There, it lives in open areas of the ocean, and even resting by floating on the surface.
When swimming, however, most specimens frequently spend much of their time within a specifc depth range. These average examples swim and hunt at depths that range from 1,300 – 3,300 ft (400 – 1,000 m). Exceptional one’s though, dive as deep as 7,835 ft (2,388 m).
Like its relatives, the mighty Southern Elephant Seal evolved as a pure carnivore. Its primary prey consists of quantities of fish and small squid. In this, it seems to be a purely opportunistic hunter, consuming any species of either it can manage to catch and consume.
In turn, its own predators remain comparatively few in number, due to its impressive size. Very young sometimes fall victim to Orcas. Among mature adults, however, the Great White Shark comprises one of the few natural hunters it needs fear on a regular basis.
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