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elephant seal

[ el-uh-fuhnt seel ]

noun

  1. either of two large earless seals of the genus Mirounga, specifically M. angustirostris northern elephant seal of the Pacific coast of North America and M. leonina southern elephant seal of the Southern Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean, both species noted for a curved proboscis resembling an elephant's trunk: the largest living carnivorans, weighing up to 11,000 pounds (5,000 kilograms).


elephant seal

noun

  1. either of two large earless seals, Mirounga leonina of southern oceans or M. angustirostris of the N Atlantic, the males of which have a long trunklike snout


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Word History and Origins

Origin of elephant seal1

First recorded in 1835–45

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Example Sentences

The southern Elephant Seal is M. leoninus, and reaches a length of some 20 feet.

The rhytina, the Californian elephant seal, the great auk, and the Labrador duck have already been exterminated.

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