What is an elephant seal and where are they from?

Elephant seals are mammals, known for their imposing size and unique physical characteristics. The name of these gregarious animals refers to the inflatable snout found on adult males, similar to elephant trunks.

There are two species of elephant seals, the northern elephant seal and the southern elephant seal, which mainly inhabit the coastal regions of the Pacific and Atlantic.

What is an elephant seal and where are they from?

Adapted to aquatic life, elephant seals are excellent swimmers and divers, being able to reach great depths in search of food, such as fish and squid.

During the breeding season, however, these mammals migrate in large groups to the beaches, where they compete for territory. As mentioned, the name elephant seal comes from the males' large nasal organ, which resembles a trunk, used to emit aggressive roars during the season.

If intimidation doesn't work, disputes can turn into violent and bloody battles. When the territory is defined, males gather 40 to 50 females, which are much smaller than their mates.

Males of both species reach a length of approximately 6 meters and a weight of around 4 tons, while females only reach around 3 meters and 800 kg. Females give birth to a single calf per year, during the winter months in the northern hemisphere, after a gestation period of 11 months.

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Northern elephant seal

Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are found in the North Pacific, from Baja California, Mexico, to the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Because they prefer to frequent islands rather than the North American mainland, their breeding groups often migrate to places like Año Nuevo, Point Reyes, and Piedras Blancas.

Animals of this species are born with a black coat, which falls off when they are weaned from their mothers, around one month of age. After this molt, an elegant, silvery-gray coat is revealed. Within a year, the coat becomes silvery brown.

Southern elephant seal

Southern elephant seals (Leonine Mirounga) live throughout the Southern Ocean, around the Antarctic continent and on most sub-Antarctic islands. They are covered in a yellowish or grayish-brown coat. Each year, they undergo a molt, losing their fur and an underlying layer of skin before growing a new one over the course of a month.