Southern elephant seal

The southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) is one of two species of elephant seals. It is the largest member of the clade Pinnipedia and the order Carnivora, as well as the largest extant marine mammal that is not a cetacean. It gets its name from its massive size and the large proboscis of the adult male, which is used to produce very loud roars, especially during the breeding season. A bull southern elephant seal is about 40% heavier than a male northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), which is nearly twice the weight of a male walrus (Odobenus rosmarus), or 6–7 times heavier than the largest living mostly terrestrial carnivorans, the Kodiak bear and the polar bear.

Southern elephant seal
Temporal range: Pleistocene-recent
Male (bull)
Females (cows) and pups
CITES Appendix II (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Clade: Pinnipedia
Family: Phocidae
Genus: Mirounga
Species:
M. leonina
Binomial name
Mirounga leonina
Southern elephant seal range
Synonyms

Phoca leonina Linnaeus, 1758
Macrorhinus leoninus (Linn.)
Macrorhinus elephantinus

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