Food and Hunting
Elephant seals feed primarily on fish and squid. Until recently, very little was known about their hunting behavior; recent studies have shown that they make extraordinarily deep dives of over 3,000 feet. In this deep water they catch bottom-dwelling prey. Although elephant seals have long canine teeth, only the inch-long tips protrude through their gums. This and their dull molars make it difficult for them to feed on anything but soft-bodied prey.

Did you know?
Male elephant seals are so large that it has been difficult to find out how much they weigh. Scientists used to cut up dead seals to estimate their weight and found that the skin alone can weigh up to 250 pounds, the blubber 1,450 pounds, the heart 93 pounds, and the head 115 pounds.
Southern elephant seals are known to travel great distances from their breeding beaches. The longest recorded journey was over 3,000 miles.
Elephant seals sleep so soundly on breeding beaches that it is possible for a person to sit on one without waking it.
The big difference in size between the male and female elephant seal is thought to be the greatest relative size difference between the sexes of any mammalian species.

Size
Length: Southern males, 16 feet; females, 10 feet. Northern males, 14 feet; females, 10 feet.
Weight: Southern males 5,300 lbs.; females, 1,500 lbs. Northern males, 5,000 lbs.; females, 2,000 lbs.

Distribution
The southern elephant seal lives and breeds in the Antarctic. The northern elephant seal is found along the west coast of North America and breeds off the California coast.

Lifestyle
Habit: Social during breeding.
Call: Roar, growl, or purr.
Lifespan: Up to 14 years.