the sea elephant to the pachyderm more because of these features 

 than his size and weight. 



Unhke his namesake, the sea elephant has a rather disappoint- 

 ing cry. With a tremendous exhalation of air from his proboscis, 

 the great bull succeeds only in making a ponderous sort of 

 "Whoosh!" which in no wise resembles the trumpeting of the 

 pachyderm, nor the roar of a great sea lion. 



Found principally on Guadalupe Island and in small numbers 

 on the San Benitos now and then, the sea elephant of the North 

 Pacific has a counterpart in the South Pacific named Mirunga 

 leoninus, which some say is even larger than the species found off 

 Mexico. Some are said to measure 2 1 feet in length. 



Members of the expeditions captured and brought back alive 

 to the Zoological Gardens in San Diego one monster 18 feet in 

 length, but he was not the largest seen on the shores of Guadalupe. 

 He was selected as one of the healthiest large specimens. Females 

 are considerably smaller than the males. The collection taken for 

 the San Diego Zoo included females and young as well as the bull. 

 Babies of the species weigh 800 to 900 pounds. 



To accommodate the sea elephants, officials of the Zoological 

 Society of San Diego constructed a large tank and cage where some 

 of the animals have thrived. So far as is known, they are the only 

 ones alive in captivity. 



Thousands of visitors have watched the antics of these strange 

 monsters of the deep, which feed chiefly on fish and consume enor- 

 mous quantities at a meal. Like nearly all seals and sea lions, the 

 sea elephants are subject to parasitic infestations which scientists 

 are studying intently. Diseases among marine mammals are far 

 more prevalent than most persons are willing to believe. Often 

 the ailments of animals are disturbingly similar to illnesses among 

 humans. Stomach ulcers are common among seals and other aquatic 

 mammals. Lung mites and worms take their toll. Liver flukes or 

 trematodes are pernicious invaders. 



A wealth of pathological data of this character has been accu- 

 mulated by scientists on the expeditions and many important lessons 

 have been learned. Some of them are being turned to the benefit of 

 mankind as data are correlated and analyzed. Studies are being made 

 of the sources of parasitic infestations. 128 



