Mammals · Carnivora · Phocidae

Northern Elephant Seal

Mirounga angustirostris

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It shows one of the most extreme cases of sexual dimorphism among mammals, with males that can weigh more than five times as much as females.

Weight

400 kg – 2.3 t

Size

2.5 m – 5 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanCarnivore Variable activity Colonial Ocean Mammal

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Fun facts

It makes one of the longest known migrations of any mammal, covering more than 20,000 km there and back every year in search of food.
It feeds on deep-water fish and squid, taken on extremely deep dives.
It lives on the coasts of the eastern Pacific, mainly California and Baja California.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Coasts of the eastern Pacific, mainly California and Baja California
Birth weight: Born black, moulting to silver after weaning
Size at birth: Born black
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: ~11 months, with 2-3 months of delayed implantation
Litter / clutch size: 1 young per birth (twins rare)
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 15.8 years

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Wikipedia (Northern elephant seal); NOAA Fisheries; PMC (lifetime reproductive success study); Animal Diversity Web