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| Southern Elephant Seal
Photo © Lee Dingain |
Southern Elephant Seal Mirounga leonina
The Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina)
are the largest of all seals with males reaching 4-5 m in length and
3 500 kg in weight (females are smaller - usually under 3 m in length
and only 500 kg in weight). Southern elephant seals are grayish brown
in colour and are covered with thick blubber. Mature males have a
large 'trunk', or proboscis which is used to amplify the sounds they
make and, together with their big grey bodies, give rise to their
name 'elephant' seal. They are found throughout the southern oceans.
Southern elephant seals were hunted relentlessly for fur and oil throughout the 18th
and 19th centuries, but with protection numbers have recovered dramatically.
The current population is estimated at 650,000
individuals but during the past 40 years there have been declines which are believed to be due
to population overshooting the maximum sustainable population size following the end of commercial sealing.
Populations are now thought to be stable.
The Southern Elephant Seal has been classified as lower
risk by the IUCN (See
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
for more information on the classification of the Southern Elephant Seal).
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| Southern Elephant Seal Photo © Lee Dingain |
Help Protect the Southern Elephant Seal and Other Wildlife in Patagonia
The World Land Trust project on the Ranch
of Hopes Wildlife Refuge in Patagonia safe-guards the coastal
steppes and adjacent coastline, where Southern Elephant Seal occur.
Please help protect this area by supporting
the Patagonia Restoration Fund.
More Information about Southern Elephant Seals and Their Habitat
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+44 (0)1986 874422