Mirounga leonina - #3390

Southern Elephant Seal
Adult male forcing copulation with subadult female months prior to normal mating season.
Geographic Distribution

Circumpolar mainly in the subantarctic zone, including Antarctica, Macquarie, Kerguelen, S Georgia Isls, and Argentina (Peninsula Valdez). Vagrant populations recorded at Australia, Brazil, Chile, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Oman, Uruguay.

Order/Family
Phocidae
Genus
Mirounga
Specific Epithet
leonina
Image Location
Argentina, Chubut province, Peninsula Valdes, Punta Delgada
Image Date
30 October 2015
Photographer
LE Harding