Elephant seal Facts

About the elephant seal

Two species exist, the northern and the southern elephant seal, and they are the largest seals of all. Males can weigh up to 4,000 kg (8,800 lb). By the late 19th century, hunting for lamp oil had pushed both species to the edge of extinction, but they have recovered since. The name comes from the big proboscis on adult males, which looks like an elephant's trunk.

The northern elephant seal, a bit smaller than its southern cousin, ranges along the Pacific coast of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. Its northernmost Pacific breeding spot is Race Rocks Marine Protected Area off Vancouver Island. The southern species turns up on islands like Macquarie Island and South Georgia, and along the shores of Argentina, South Africa, Tasmania and New Zealand.

Did you know?

• A small colony of 120 elephant seals lives at Jackson Bay in southern Chile.
• Elephant seals breed every year and tend to return to established colonies.
• Elephant seals are also called sea elephants.