page_title: Southern elephant seal
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Southern elephant seal / Description
caption_attribution_description: Česky: Mládě rypouše sloního (Mirounga leonina) na Jižní Georgii. Deutsch: Junger Südlicher See-Elefant (Mirounga leonina) in Südgeorgien. English: Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) (young) in South Georgia. Suomi: Etelänmerinorsu (Mirounga leonina) Etelä-Georgiassa. Français&#160;: Éléphant de mer du sud (Mirounga leonina) ou Éléphant de mer austral en Géorgie du Sud Italiano: Un giovane esemplare di elefante marino del sud (Mirounga leonina) in Georgia del Sud, un'isola dell'emisfero australe che fu anche teatro della Guerra delle Falkland. Português: Elefante-marinho-do-sul (Mirounga leonina) nas Ilhas Geórgia do Sul e Sandwich do Sul. Basa Sunda: Gajah Laut Pakidulan (Mirounga leonina) ngora di Georgia Kidul.
context_page_description: The southern elephant seal is one of the two species of elephant seals. It is the largest member of the clade Pinnipedia and the order Carnivora, as well as the largest extant marine mammal that is not a cetacean. It gets its name from its massive size and the large proboscis of the adult male, which is used to produce very loud roars, especially during the breeding season. A bull southern elephant seal is about 40% heavier than a male northern elephant seal, more than twice as heavy as a male walrus, and 6–7 times heavier than the largest living terrestrial carnivorans, the polar bear and the Kodiak bear.
context_section_description: The southern elephant seal is distinguished from the northern elephant seal (which does not overlap in range with this species) by its greater body mass and a shorter proboscis. The southern males also appear taller when fighting, due to their tendency to bend their backs more strongly than the northern species. This species may also exhibit the greatest sexual dimorphism of any mammal in terms of mass ratio, with males typically five to six times heavier than females.
  On average female southern elephant seals weigh 400 to 900 kg (880 to 1,980 lb) and measure 2.6 to 3 m (8.5 to 9.8 ft) long, whereas bulls can range from 2,200 to 4,000 kg (4,900 to 8,800 lb) and grow to 4.2 to 5.8 m (14 to 19 ft) in length.
  For comparison, among the northern elephant seal and the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)—two other large marine mammals that are highly sexual dimorphic by size—males typically outweigh females by a factor of three; exceptionally massive bulls may weigh four times as much as females. 
  Southern elephant seal size also varies regionally. Studies have indicated elephant seals from South Georgia are around 30% heavier and 10% longer on average than those from Macquarie Island. The record-sized bull, shot in Possession Bay, South Georgia, on 28 February 1913, measured 6.85 m (22.5 ft) long and was estimated to weigh 5,000 kg (11,000 lb), although it was only partially weighed piecemeal. The maximum size of a female is 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) and 3.7 m (12 ft). The eyes are large, round, and black. The width of the eyes, and a high concentration of low-light pigments, suggest sight plays an important role in the capture of prey. Like all seals, elephant seals have hind limbs whose ends form the tail and tail fin. Each of the "feet" can deploy five long, webbed fingers. This agile dual palm is used to propel water. The pectoral fins are used little while swimming. While their hind limbs are unfit for locomotion on land, elephant seals use their fins as support to propel their bodies. They are able to propel themselves quickly (as fast as 8 km/h (5.0 mph)) in this way for short-distance travel, to return to water, to catch up with a female, or to chase an intruder.
  Pups are born with fur and are completely black. Their coats are unsuited to water, but protect infants by insulating them from the cold air. The first moulting accompanies weaning. After moulting, the coats may turn grey and brown, depending on the thickness and moisture of hair. Among older males, the skin takes the form of a thick leather which is often scarred.
  Like other seals, the vascular system of elephant seals is adapted to the cold; a mixture of small veins surround arteries, capturing heat from them. This structure is present in extremities such as the hind legs.
caption: Close-up of juvenile southern elephant seal, showing face and mouth detail
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