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

At The Marine Mammal Center, undernourished, sick or injured elephant seal pups usually start trickling in during February, after beachgoers call the center’s hotline and specialists are dispatched to rescue them. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025

In the mid-19th century, hunters harvested elephant seal oil on the islands, killing off most of their seals before the practice was ended in 1877. —Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 3 Apr. 2025

Economic activity there essentially ended in 1877, when the trade in elephant seal oil was ended and the human population of sealers left the remote islands, which are located en route from Madagascar to Antarctica. —Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025

The crew initially mistook the shark for an elephant seal, KTLA reported. —Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for elephant seal

• automobile
• periosteal
• peritoneal
• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel
• conceal
• congeal
• coquille
• corneal