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
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Patrick Robinson, the Año Nuevo reserve director, and a marine biologist at UC Santa Cruz, said 47 elephant seals on the mainland have died since the outbreak began, and the wildlife team is finding two new symptomatic and two dead animals every day.
—
Susanne Rust
follow, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Threats to the environment and wildlife are still ever-present — a new highly pathogenic avian influenza has just hit the state, McGuire said, making birds and now elephant seals in Northern California sick.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 9 Mar. 2026
Facts about elephant seals—a bull’s responsibility to impregnate his harem of females, birthing and nursing—though presented scientifically, put the children in a state of wild glee that a thousand-year-old redwood tree or a century-old lighthouse could not induce.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
In the end, an Australian photographer claimed the top prize for capturing a tender moment of elephant seal pups nuzzling in a rockpool.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
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Susanne Rust
follow, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Threats to the environment and wildlife are still ever-present — a new highly pathogenic avian influenza has just hit the state, McGuire said, making birds and now elephant seals in Northern California sick.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 9 Mar. 2026
Facts about elephant seals—a bull’s responsibility to impregnate his harem of females, birthing and nursing—though presented scientifically, put the children in a state of wild glee that a thousand-year-old redwood tree or a century-old lighthouse could not induce.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
In the end, an Australian photographer claimed the top prize for capturing a tender moment of elephant seal pups nuzzling in a rockpool.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elephant seal
Cite this Entry
“Elephant seal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant%20seal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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