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Elephant seals or sea elephants are very large, oceangoing earless seals in the genus Mirounga.Both species, the northern elephant seal (M. angustirostris) and the southern elephant seal (M. leonina), were hunted to the brink of extinction for lamp oil by the end of the 19th century, but their numbers have since recovered.
Southern elephant seal harem on a beach on the Kerguelen Islands. Southern elephant seal world population was estimated at 650,000 in the mid-1990s, [1] and was estimated in 2005 at between 664,000 and 740,000. [18] Studies have shown the existence of three geographic subpopulations, one in each of the three oceans.
The northern elephant seal population was estimated to be 171,000 in 2005. [1] Beginning in the 18th century, northern elephant seals were hunted extensively, almost to extinction by the end of the 19th century, being prized for oil made from their blubber, and the population may have fallen as low as only 20-40 individuals. [1]
Elephant seals can reach over 13 feet in length and can weigh 4,400 pounds, or 2.2 tons, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They typically live about 19 years.
IUCN status and estimated population Ribbon seal. H. fasciata (Zimmermann, 1783) Arctic and subarctic regions of the North Pacific Ocean (blue indicates reduced summer range) Size: 165–175 cm (65–69 in) long; 72–90 kg (159–198 lb) [31] Habitat: Neritic marine and oceanic marine [32] Diet: Fish, crustaceans, and other invertebrates [32] LC
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Researchers don’t often put electronic tags on elephant seal pups. At more than $3,000 per satellite tag, losses are just too high to risk the expensive technology. But in one recent case, it ...
A beachmaster southern elephant seal. The largest carnivoran as well as the largest pinniped is the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), attaining sizes up to 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) in weight and 6.9 m (23 ft) in length. [26] The largest living land carnivoran, on average, is the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). It can reach a shoulder height ...