Down to maybe 100 individuals in 1892, the northern elephant seal is now ~150,000 — a textbook recovery. Males weigh up to 5,000 pounds and dive to nearly a mile deep.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The northern elephant seal or northern sea elephant, is one of two species of elephant seal. It is a member of the family Phocidae. Elephant seals derive their name from their great size and from the male's large proboscis, which is used in making extraordinarily loud roaring noises, especially during the mating competition. Sexual dimorphism in size is great. Correspondingly, the mating system is highly polygynous; a successful male is able to impregnate up to 50 females in one season.
Source: Wikipedia — Northern elephant seal Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Massive grayish-brown seal. Males have enormous inflatable proboscis (trunk-like nose) used in display and roaring; females and juveniles lack this feature.
Similar species. Southern Elephant Seal (Antarctic; even larger). Other US seals are much smaller and lack the proboscis.
Voice. Males produce thunderous low-frequency roars by inflating the proboscis; sounds carry 1+ km along beaches.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Squid (~75% of diet), bottom-dwelling fish (hagfish, rockfish, sharks).
Behavior. Among the most extreme divers of any mammal — males have been recorded diving to 1,735 m (5,690 ft) and staying submerged for over 2 hours. Population crashed to fewer than 100 individuals by 1892 due to commercial hunting for oil; protected since the 1920s and now numbers over 200,000 in California breeding colonies. Bulls fight epic territorial battles on rookery beaches during winter breeding season, with dominant "alpha bulls" inseminating multiple females.
§ Range
Eastern Pacific from Alaska to Baja California; breeds on California offshore islands
§ Habitat
Beaches and offshore waters; deep open ocean foraging
§ Threats
Climate-driven prey shifts, plastic ingestion, low genetic diversity from population bottleneck, fisheries interactions.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the northern elephant seal is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
View only from designated overlooks (Año Nuevo, Piedras Blancas). Reduce plastic pollution. Support marine reserves.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Northern elephant seal
- www.fisheries.noaa.gov — authoritative profile of Mirounga angustirostris
- IUCN Red List · taxon 13581
- iNaturalist · taxon 41789
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Mirounga angustirostris
§ Sources cited
- NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region
- Point Reyes National Seashore
- Año Nuevo State Park
- IUCN Red List 2014
