Elephant seals are gregarious animals named for their size and for the male's inflatable, trunklike snout. They are members of the family Phocidae . Two scarred males fighting The Southern Elephant Seal is blue-grey and has an extensive moulting period in which considerable patches of hair and skin are shed.
Elephant seals feed on fish and on squid or other cephalopods.
During the breeding season, elephant seals become aggressive toward each other. The bulls fight to establish territories along beaches and to acquire harems of up to 40 cows. The cows produce single brownish black pups yearly. They mate about three weeks after delivery, and a three-month dormancy period ensues before the fertilized ovum implants. The total pregnancy lasts about 11 months.