elephant seal

elephant seal

noun

Definition of ELEPHANT SEAL

: 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

First Known Use of ELEPHANT SEAL

1839

Rhymes with ELEPHANT SEAL

automobile, chemical peel, crucible steel, cylinder seal, ego ideal, electric eel, Solomon's seal, stiletto heel, structural steel, Virginia reel, varicocele

elephant seal

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Elephant seal bull (Mirounga)—Anthony Mercieca/Root Resources

Either of the two largest pinniped species: the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), of coastal islands off California and Baja California, or the southern elephant seal (M. leonina), of sub-Antarctic regions. Both are gregarious earless seals. The male has an inflatable, trunklike snout. The northern species is yellowish or gray-brown, the southern species blue-gray. Males of both species reach a length of about 21 ft (6.5 m) and a weight of about 7,780 lbs (3,530 kg) and are much larger than the females. Elephant seals feed on fish and squid or other cephalopods. During the breeding season, bulls fight to establish territories along beaches and to acquire harems of up to 40 cows.