elephant seal

noun

|Updated on: 22 Jul 2018

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

Recent Examples of elephant seal from the Web

The scientists had found the perfect place to conduct their research: Southeast Farallon Island, a remote outpost 30 miles due west of the Golden Gate Bridge, where each autumn a large population of great white sharks gather to hunt elephant seals.

— susan casey, Outside Online, "Susan Casey on Seeing Her First Great White Shark," 11 July 2018
The barcodes also suggested the early New Zealanders hunted fur seals, sea lions, and elephant seals.

— michael price, Science | AAAS, "Ancient seafarers may have hunted whales around the world," 10 July 2018
The five-year effort will use tools ranging from radar devices dragged across the ice to image the glacier’s interior to autonomous underwater vehicles to sensors attached to elephant seals.

— andrea thompson, Scientific American, "Antarctic Quest Seeks to Predict the Fate of a Linchpin Glacier," 14 May 2018
Here's a look at what the elephant seals and their pups are up to.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "This adorable seal pup was spotted on NC beach. Now warnings are being issued.," 22 Jan. 2018
This abundance of food draws in sea lions, harbor seals and, more rarely, elephant seals, which breed at Año Nuevo to the south.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bay Area coast’s secret haunt for great white sharks," 22 Jan. 2018
But its accumulation in the blood helps elephant seals make deep dives in the ocean, researchers reported here last week at the biennial meeting of the Marine Mammal Society.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Killer gas aids elephant seals’ deep dives," 1 Nov. 2017
The elephant seal also has much more red blood cells than these other animals.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Killer gas aids elephant seals’ deep dives," 1 Nov. 2017
Jorgensen and others say other marine mammal populations—particularly sea lions and elephant seals—have risen dramatically, and the animals now often occupy new areas.

— National Geographic, "Mysterious Great White Shark Attacks on Sea Otters Surge," 23 June 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'elephant seal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.