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What the sources say

Southern Elephant SealMirounga leonina

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Southern Elephant Seal profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 43 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Mirounga leonina (southern elephant seal). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysthe species averages 4.5 meters in length
The source saysAverage length 4.5 m
The page saysBulls also use that same roar to challenge each other for dominance on a crowded beach
The source saysMale southern elephant seals will challenge each other by using their proboscises to make a roaring soundNote: 'for dominance' is a light paraphrase of ADW's own framing, the harem-control fight for status described throughout its Behavior/Reproduction sections; 'crowded beach' is generic scene-setting, not a figure
The page saysFrom the early 19th century until 1964, sealers harvested southern elephant seals for their blubber oil
The source saysfrom the early 19th century until 1964, they were heavily harvested by commercial companies wanting to turn their blubber into oil
The page saysKiller whales, leopard seals, and some large sharks are its main predators at sea
The source saysTheir main predators are orcas (Orcinus orca), some big sharks, and leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx)
The page saysan elephant seal fights back with its teeth or swims away
The source saysSouthern elephant seals fight back with their teeth, or swim away when they encounter predator
The page sayshe survives on blubber reserves, the fat stores these seals build up by eating throughout the rest of the year
The source saysThey do not eat during the period when they give birth and mate, so they eat and build up fat stores throughout the rest of the year
The page saysdangerLevel: High
The source saysSouthern elephant seals are large animals, and could potentially kill or harm a person if they were to come too close.
The page saysBulls challenge each other on the breeding beaches by roaring through the proboscis that gives the species its name, then rear up on their hind flippers to show their size.
The source saysMale southern elephant seals will challenge each other by using their proboscises to make a roaring sound. They will also raise up on their hind fins to show off their size.

Source
02

Australian Antarctic Program

Elephant seal. Australian Antarctic Program.

The page saysSquid and fish, hunted along the Antarctic sea-ice edge
The source sayssouthern elephant seals migrate south to Antarctica to feed on squid and fish at the edge of the sea-ice
The page saysbreath-holds of up to two hours
The source saysholding their breath under water for up to 2 hours
The page saysBreath-holds of up to two hours on oxygen-rich blood, and a roaring proboscis
The source saysthese adaptions mean that Southern elephant seals can take a breath and make the oxygen last for up to two hoursNote: proboscis/roar half: AAD 'named after the large proboscis (nose) of the adult males, which is used to make loud roaring sounds'
The page saysAdult bulls weigh up to 3,000 kilograms
The source saysadult males weighing up to 3,000 kg
The page sayscows weigh between 300 and 900 kilograms just before giving birth
The source saysadult females between 300 and 900 kg just prior to giving birth
The page saysThe bull's large proboscis, the feature that gives the species its name, is used to make loud roaring sounds, especially during the mating season
The source saysSouthern elephant seals are named after the large proboscis (nose) of the adult males, which is used to make loud roaring sounds, especially during the mating season
The page saysa bull will not leave to hunt; instead he survives on blubber reserves
The source saysthe bulls will not leave their territory to find food. Instead, they rely on blubber reserves
The page sayshunt squid and fish at the edge of the Antarctic sea ice
The source sayssouthern elephant seals migrate south to Antarctica to feed on squid and fish at the edge of the sea-ice
The page saysBiologists have recorded them diving up to 2 kilometers deep and holding their breath for up to two hours
The source saysBiologists have recorded them diving up to 2 kilometres deep and holding their breath under water for up to 2 hours
The page saysmost dives last around 30 minutes and reach 300 to 800 meters
The source saysMost dives are about 30 minutes in duration and to depths of between 300 m and 800 m
The page saysspend roughly two minutes at the surface
The source saysspending about 2 minutes on the surface between dives
The page saysExtra red blood cells that may carry more hemoglobin than usual
The source saysTheir red blood cells may, as an adaptation for diving, contain more haemoglobin than normal
The page saysoxygen-storing myoglobin that turns their muscle tissue black
The source saysMolecules of oxygen-carrying myoglobin are present in the muscles and colour them black
The page saysmake one breath last for up to two hours
The source saysthese adaptions mean that Southern elephant seals can take a breath and make the oxygen last for up to two hours
The page saysmany populations were nearly wiped out
The source saysMany populations were nearly exterminated through these activities
The page saysstaying under for as long as two hours at a stretch, reaching depths of up to 2 kilometers
The source saysBiologists have recorded them diving up to 2 kilometres deep and holding their breath under water for up to 2 hours
The page saysMost dives are shorter working trips, lasting around half an hour and reaching between 300 and 800 meters, and the seal spends about two minutes on the surface between dives
The source saysMost dives are about 30 minutes in duration and to depths of between 300 m and 800 m
The page saysHauling out on the beaches of South Georgia and Macquarie Island
The source saysThere are four main stock groups: South Georgia, Peninsula Valdez, Iles Kerguelen and Heard Island, and Macquarie Island
The page saysAfter breeding or moulting, elephant seals head into the Southern Ocean
The source saysAfter breeding or moulting, southern elephant seals migrate south to Antarctica
The page saysSub-Antarctic islands and the Southern Ocean
The source saysSouthern elephant seals have a circumpolar distribution and visit sub-Antarctic islands to breed
The page saystags: antarctic
The source sayssouthern elephant seals migrate south to Antarctica to feed on squid and fish at the edge of the sea-ice
The page saystags: deep-diver
The source saysBiologists have recorded them diving up to 2 kilometres deep and holding their breath under water for up to 2 hours.

Source
03

McClain et al. 2015

McClain et al. (2015). Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna. PeerJ.

The page saysThe largest living carnivoran
The source saysThe southern elephant seal is the largest carnivoran
The page saysis the largest carnivoran alive, larger than even the polar bear
The source saysThe southern elephant seal is the largest carnivoran—even larger than the semi-aquatic polar bear, Ursus maritimus
The page saysThe Guinness Book record holder, as compiled by Wood in 1982, was a male that measured 6.85 meters and weighed 5,000 kilograms
The source saysThe Guinness Book record holders for maximum size for M. leonina are a male that measured 6.85 m long and weighed 5,000 kg, and a 3.7 m, 1,000 kg female ( Wood, 1982 )
The page saysThe Guinness Book record holders, as compiled by Wood in 1982, are a male that measured 6.85 meters long and weighed 5,000 kilograms
The source saysThe Guinness Book record holders for maximum size for M. leonina are a male that measured 6.85 m long and weighed 5,000 kg, and a 3.7 m, 1,000 kg female ( Wood, 1982 )
The page saysa far smaller female of 3.7 meters and 1,000 kilograms
The source saysa 3.7 m, 1,000 kg female

Source
04

Volzke et al. 2023

Volzke et al. (2023). Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal. Royal Society Open Science.

The page saysadult males grow to nearly five times the body mass of females
The source saysAdult male southern elephant seals reach nearly five times the body mass of females
The page saysabout 4 percent of adult males control a harem
The source saysthe few (approx. 4%) adult males that do control breeding harems
The page saysharem, which can hold up to 100 females in a breeding season
The source saysgrow large enough to control a harem of up to 100 females in the breeding season
The page saysAn adult male reaches nearly five times the body mass of a female
The source saysAdult male southern elephant seals reach nearly five times the body mass of females
The page saysabout 4 percent of adult males control one
The source saysthe few (approx. 4%) adult males that do control breeding harems

Source
05

Jonsen et al. 2018

Jonsen et al. (2018). Movement responses to environment: fast inference of variation among southern elephant seals with a mixed effects model. Ecology.

The page saysmigrating up to 4,000 kilometers from their colonies
The source saysThese seals migrate up to 4,000 km from their breeding colonies

Source
06

Hofmeyr 2026

Hofmeyr (2026). Mirounga leonina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2026: e.T13583A95970952.

The page saysToday the IUCN Red List lists the species as Vulnerable
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU)Note: Current category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List (2026 assessment DOI). No year or previous category is stated: no cached source states a change.
The page saysThe IUCN Red List lists southern elephant seals as Vulnerable, not Endangered
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU)Note: Current category via GBIF's copy of the Red List; 'not Endangered' restates the category.

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.