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elephant seal

[ el-uh-fuhnt seel ]
/ ˈɛl ə fənt ˌsil /
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noun
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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Also called sea elephant.

Origin of elephant seal

First recorded in 1835–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use elephant seal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for elephant seal

elephant seal

noun
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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