elephant seal

American  

[el-uh-fuhnt seel] / ˈɛl ə fənt ˌsil /

noun

1. either of two large earless seals of the genus Mirounga, specifically M. angustirostris northern elephant seal of the Pacific coast of North America and M. leonina southern elephant seal of the Southern Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean, both species noted for a curved proboscis resembling an elephant's trunk: the largest living carnivorans, weighing up to 11,000 pounds (5,000 kilograms).

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elephant seal British  

noun

1. either of two large earless seals, Mirounga leonina of southern oceans or M. angustirostris of the N Atlantic, the males of which have a long trunklike snout

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Etymology

Origin of elephant seal

First recorded in 1835–45

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elephant seal

A wrinkled Northern elephant seal named Violet slid out of a crate and onto San Pedro’s Cabrillo Beach on a muggy morning in late August.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Neil the beloved elephant seal has once again returned to Seven Mile Beach, Tasmania, for his annual moult, keeping locals on their toes with his cheeky and sometimes destructive antics.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

More research conducted this January confirmed bird flu had mainly hit southern elephant seal pup populations with a smaller impact on king and gentoo penguins.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Scientists at the breeding ground on the Valdes Peninsula along Argentina's coast have determined that 97 percent of elephant seal pups died either from being abandoned or contracting bird flu in 2023.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025

For a while the only sounds were the scrabbling of their boots over the rocks, their own harsh breathing, and the occasional belch or bellow from an elephant seal.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

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