elephant seal

noun

: either of two very large seals (genus Mirounga of the family Phocidae) characterized by a long inflatable proboscis:

: one (M. angustirostris) found in Pacific coastal waters from southeastern Alaska to Baja California

: one (M. leonina) found in coastal waters of subantarctic islands and Patagonia

Examples of elephant seal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

One bale landed in an elephant seal nursery, surrounded by baby seals. —

Manuel Valdes, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2024 Once swallowing well, the elephant seal patients are ready to start feeding in the pool. —

Tara Ellison, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024 The leopard seal, sometimes referred to as a sea leopard, is the second-largest species of seal in the Antarctic, behind the southern elephant seal. —

Samuel Sanders, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024 For backpackers, that engineering abdication has been a boon, leading to a 25-mile span of undeveloped beachfront where black bears roam, elephant seals cavort, and tides lash against cliffs and coves with might. —

Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for elephant seal

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of elephant seal was in 1839

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Elephant seal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant%20seal. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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