Southern Elephant Seal
Mirounga leonina
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderCarnivora (Carnívors)
- FamilyPhocidae (Earless Seals)
- GenusMirounga (Elephant Seals)
- SpeciesMirounga leonina (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 more than twice the weight of a male northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) as large sub-adult southern elephant seals have weighed 3 tons, as well as more than twice the weight of a male pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Elephant Seal sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 48 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park
Leopard Seal
Hydrurga leptonyx
Afro-Australian Fur Seal
Arctocephalus pusillus
Caracal
Caracal caracal
African Clawless Otter
Aonyx capensis
Cape Gray Mongoose
Galerella pulverulenta
Cape Genet
Genetta tigrina
Marsh Mongoose
Atilax paludinosus
Cape Fox
Vulpes chama
Subantarctic Fur Seal
Arctocephalus tropicalis
Egyptian Mongoose
Herpestes ichneumon
Striped Polecat
Ictonyx striatus
Honey Badger
Mellivora capensis
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Utría National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 6 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 8 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 10 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Southern Elephant Seal in Table Mountain National Park?
About 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Elephant Seal sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 48 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Southern Elephant Seal in Table Mountain National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Southern Elephant Seal in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.