elephant seal
noun
: either of two very large seals (genus Mirounga of the family Phocidae) characterized by a long inflatable proboscis:
a
: one (M. angustirostris) found in Pacific coastal waters from southeastern Alaska to Baja California
b
: one (M. leonina) found in coastal waters of subantarctic islands and Patagonia
Examples of elephant seal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Farther offshore, a lone elephant seal fished for its lunch, and, in a rocky inlet, an otter bobbed along on its back, a crab clutched between its front paws.
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Sara B. Franklin, Travel + Leisure, 12 May 2024
Since then, the virus has propagated down through the Americas, killing tens of millions of birds and, perhaps more concerning, infecting dozens of mammalian species: bottlenose dolphins in Florida; sea lions in Peru; elephant seals on the islands near Antarctica.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 5 May 2024
Each morning, the expedition takes zodiacs out to scout for a safe landing where guests may witness a giant elephant seal yawn or a skua attacking a penguin rookery.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
The whales mainly ate California sea lions, gray whale calves, and northern elephant seals.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Mar. 2024
Like many new mothers, a female elephant seal puts herself on a strict diet after giving birth.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2014
Usually, the waters off Point Bennett on San Miguel Island are teeming with elephant seals and sea lions, Channel Islands National Park said in a March 6 Facebook post.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024
In November, the mortality rate for newborn elephant seal pups reached 96% on one beach in Argentina — astronomically higher than the 0.8% mortality rate observed there in 2022.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024
The bad weather is also affecting local wildlife, including newborn elephant seal pups.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
Sara B. Franklin, Travel + Leisure, 12 May 2024
Since then, the virus has propagated down through the Americas, killing tens of millions of birds and, perhaps more concerning, infecting dozens of mammalian species: bottlenose dolphins in Florida; sea lions in Peru; elephant seals on the islands near Antarctica.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 5 May 2024
Each morning, the expedition takes zodiacs out to scout for a safe landing where guests may witness a giant elephant seal yawn or a skua attacking a penguin rookery.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
The whales mainly ate California sea lions, gray whale calves, and northern elephant seals.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Mar. 2024
Like many new mothers, a female elephant seal puts herself on a strict diet after giving birth.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2014
Usually, the waters off Point Bennett on San Miguel Island are teeming with elephant seals and sea lions, Channel Islands National Park said in a March 6 Facebook post.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024
In November, the mortality rate for newborn elephant seal pups reached 96% on one beach in Argentina — astronomically higher than the 0.8% mortality rate observed there in 2022.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024
The bad weather is also affecting local wildlife, including newborn elephant seal pups.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elephant seal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Elephant seal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant%20seal. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
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