Northern elephant seal

One of the largest pinnipeds in the world; lives in the eastern Pacific ocean

Grendelkhan

Northern elephant seal pups are black when born and turn light silver after molting. When they grow into adults, the coat turns grey or dark brown. Adult males will develop a large proboscis that can be used to produce extremely loud roaring sounds during mating competitions.

They are one of the success stories of conservation efforts because when whales become scarce, they are hunted to the brink of extinction for their blubber to be used in lamps. In 1910, it was estimated that less than 100 individuals survived. Today, their population has rebounded to around 150,000 individuals, about the same size as before hunting.

Distribution

Country
Population est.
Status
Year
Comments
Pacific ocean
2014
Gulf of California
2014
Japan Sea
2014
Canada
2014
Japan
2014
Vagrant
Mexico
2014
United States
2014

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Terrestrial / Aquatic

Altricial / Precocial

Polygamous / Monogamous

Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic

Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal

Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd

Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore

Migratory: Yes / No

Domesticated: Yes / No

Dangerous: Yes / No