The elephant seal, which is truly a huge creature weighing 7,500 pounds with a length of 16 feet, is the largest member of the seal family. Many of the characteristics noted by the observers of the White River Monster seem to fit with this creature. Elephant seals come in two types, Mirounga leonina , which live in the southern hemisphere, and Mirounga angustirostris, which live in the northern hemisphere. The fact that the animal appeared to be molting during the northern summer suggests it might have been a northern animal. Male elephant seals have an enormous range, migrating every year some 7,000 miles.
Nobody knows, but it seems that at least one mysterious monster has been explained.
Copyright Lee Krystek,2000.