Sea elephant \Sea" el"e*phant\ (s[=e]" [=e]"[-e]*fant). (Zool.)
A very large seal (Macrorhinus proboscideus) of the
Antarctic seas, much hunted for its oil. It sometimes attains
a length of thirty feet, and is remarkable for the
prolongation of the nose of the adult male into an erectile
elastic proboscis, about a foot in length. Another species of
smaller size (Macrorhinus angustirostris) occurs on the
coast of Lower California, but is now nearly extinct.
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Seal \Seal\ (s[=e]l), n. [OE. sele, AS. seolh; akin to OHG.
selah, Dan. sael, Sw. sj[aum]l, Icel. selr.] (Zool.)
Any aquatic carnivorous mammal of the families Phocidae and
Otariidae.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Seals inhabit seacoasts, and are found principally in
the higher latitudes of both hemispheres. There are
numerous species, bearing such popular names as sea
lion, sea leopard, sea bear, or ursine seal,
fur seal, and sea elephant. The bearded seal
(Erignathus barbatus), the hooded seal (Cystophora
cristata), and the ringed seal (Phoca foetida), are
northern species. See also Eared seal, Harp seal,
Monk seal, and Fur seal, under Eared, Harp,
Monk, and Fur. Seals are much hunted for their
skins and fur, and also for their oil, which in some
species is very abundant.
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Harbor seal (Zool.), the common seal (Phoca vitulina). It
inhabits both the North Atlantic and the North Pacific
Ocean, and often ascends rivers; -- called also marbled
seal, native seal, river seal, bay seal, land
seal, sea calf, sea cat, sea dog, dotard,
ranger, selchie, tangfish.
[1913 Webster]
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