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

Example Sentences

That includes my first wilderness campsite near Ford Point, where a several-thousand-pound elephant seal roused me from slumber with its jarring bark.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

In late 2022, the H5N1 bird flu virus decimated southern elephant seal populations in South America and several sub-Antarctic Islands.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 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

A bull elephant seal on a California beach shocked researchers in 2022 with an uncharacteristic good deed, a recent study reported.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 4, 2024

True to its name, the island presented them with an elephant seal on landing.

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