southern elephant seal

E582763

The southern elephant seal is the largest species of seal, a massive, deep-diving marine mammal found in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) 1

Statements (73)

Predicate Object
instanceOf marine mammal
seal
activityPatternAtSea mostly pelagic
binomialName Mirounga leonina NERFINISHED
bodyShape streamlined
breedingHabitat Antarctic Peninsula coasts NERFINISHED
Patagonian coasts
sub-Antarctic islands
breedingSeason austral spring
breedingSystem polygynous
class Mammalia
commonName sea elephant
southern elephant seal NERFINISHED
southern elephant seal (US)
conservationMeasure protected in many range states
currentThreat climate change impacts on prey and sea ice
entanglement in marine debris
diet cephalopods
crustaceans
fish
squid
differenceFromNorthernElephantSeal distribution in Southern Hemisphere
generally larger body size
family Phocidae NERFINISHED
foragingStrategy deep diving
genus Mirounga
geographicRange coasts of New Zealand
coasts of southern Africa
coasts of southern Australia
coasts of southern South America
sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean
gestationPeriod about 11 months
hasProboscis adult males
haulOutBehavior comes ashore to breed and molt
IUCNStatus Least Concern
kingdom Animalia
largestSealSpecies true
largestSex male
lifespanWild about 20 years
litterSize usually 1 pup
locomotionOnLand undulating body movements
majorBreedingColony Heard Island NERFINISHED
Kerguelen Islands NERFINISHED
Macquarie Island NERFINISHED
Marion Island NERFINISHED
South Georgia NERFINISHED
matingSystem harem-based
maximumDiveDepth over 1,500 metres
maximumDiveDuration over 2 hours
maximumFemaleLength about 3 metres
maximumFemaleWeight about 900 kilograms
maximumMaleLength about 6 metres
maximumMaleWeight about 4,000 kilograms
namedAfter elephant (for its trunk-like proboscis)
order Carnivora
phylum Chordata
predator killer whale
large sharks
primaryColor grey-brown
primaryEnvironment open ocean
pupWeaningAge about 3–4 weeks
relatedSpecies northern elephant seal
respiratoryAdaptation can store large amounts of oxygen in blood and muscles
sensoryAdaptation large eyes for low-light vision underwater
sexuallyDimorphic true
socialStructureOnLand large breeding colonies
swimmingAbility excellent swimmer
taxonRank species
thermoregulationAdaptation thick blubber layer
threat historical commercial sealing
trophicLevel apex predator in parts of its range
typicalDiveDepth 300–800 metres
vocalization loud roars and bellows by males

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Zavodovski Island hostsSpecies southern elephant seal
CCAS speciesCovered southern elephant seal
this entity surface form: Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina)
Macquarie Island supportsBreedingPopulationOf southern elephant seal