Details
Mirounga leonina
Southern elephant seal is a mammal associated with polar habitats, coasts and open ocean. It is carnivorous and colonial or group-living. It remains widespread in parts of its range, but local habitat change still matters.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Its range is represented here by Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, where it uses polar habitats, coasts and open ocean. Mobile species may shift habitat use with season, breeding sites, or food availability.
Typical length 260-580 cm, weight 400 kg-4 t. It has a long-bodied carnivore profile, with proportions shaped by its habitat and mode of movement.
It is seasonal in movement or activity and colonial or group-living. Spacing, group size, and visibility can change with season, feeding conditions, and breeding activity.
It is carnivorous. Food choice and foraging style are tied to life in polar habitats, coasts and open ocean, so movements often follow available food resources.
As a mammal, it gives birth to live young, and the mother nurses them in cover or within the social group.
Recorded scientifically as Mirounga leonina. It remains widespread in parts of its range, but local habitat change still matters. In this guide, size, habitat, and activity pattern are useful first clues for recognition.
