THE SOUTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL 



(Macrorhinus coninus) 



During the first week in January 1919, a bull 

 Elephant Seal came ashore in Algoa Bay midway 

 between Port Elizabeth and the Zwartkops River. 

 After remaining on the beach for some hours it 

 sheered off and subsequently went ashore on the 

 sand at the north side of the Zwartkops tidal river 

 where it was shot. The total length of the animal 

 in the flesh was 16 feet 1 1 inches. The skin was 

 mounted and it, along with the slfuU, is on ex- 

 hibition at the Port Elizabeth Museum. It is 

 probable that when out fishing, this huge bull 

 seal lost his way, or was driven by a violent ocean 

 storm tov^ards the South African coast from the 

 Antarctic Sea. 



Elephant Seals formerly inhabited a large number 

 of the islands in the South Atlantic, Pacific and 

 Indian Oceans. They are now rare, except on 

 some of the islands in the Antarctic Sea. 



There are two species and several local races of 

 these seals. The Southern Elephant Seal {Macro- 

 rhinus coninus) is not found north of 35 degrees 

 south latitude; and the Northern Elephant Seal 

 (M. angustirostris) does not occur south of 24 



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