The southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) is one of the biggest marine mammals. It is the biggest of the seals. It has a loud sound like proboscis monkey.
Southern Elephant Seal Facts for Kids
The southern elephant seal is the heaviest of the seals. Adult females are almost twice the size of males.- The adult southern elephant seal is twice as heavy as a walrus.
- The females weigh around 400 to 900 kilograms with the length reaching at 8.5 to 9.8 feet.
- Southern elephants live in the South Atlantic, Falkland Islands, and Valdes Peninsula (Argentina).
- The total population of the southern elephant seals was estimated at 740,000 in 2005.
- The newborn pups weigh up to 40 kg at birth.
- Southern elephant seals can dive down to 3,300 feet which makes them the deepest divers of all marine mammals except for cetaceans.
- The seal mainly feeds on fish and squid.
- The primary predators of southern elephant seal are killer whales, leopard seal, and great white shark.
- The lifespan of a female southern elephant seal is about 20 to 25 years while males live up to 15 years maximum.
