I 3° 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
marbled seal- 
The Sea Elephant (Crystophora proboscidea) is the largest of the seal 
species. The male has a short proboscis, which has given the name to the 
species. Specimens thirty feet in length and eighteen feet around have been 
found. It is a denizen 
of the Southern Hemi¬ 
sphere, where it is hunted 
for the oil which it fur¬ 
nishes in abundance. 
Although a carnivorous 
animal, it will feed upon 
vegetables, and, though 
frequently living in salt 
water, is specially fond 
of fresh-water lakes and 
swamps. The young are 
born in June, and for 
two months receive the 
most devoted care from 
their mothers. After the 
young are brought to the 
sea the males fight val¬ 
iantly for a selection 
of wives, for they are 
polygamous. When young the sea elephant is very easily domesticated. 
This seal sometimes goes through the experiences of Arctic explorers car¬ 
ried off on a floe of ice. 
As it cannot swim for any 
great length of time, it is 
very much perplexed when 
it unexpectedly finds itself 
floating far away from its 
happy hunting grounds. 
It is less helpless than the 
stranded sailor, for it can 
always secure food by for¬ 
aging, but, unlike the sail¬ 
or, the nearer it approaches 
civilization the greater are 
the dangers which threaten 
it. On one occasion a wan¬ 
dering sea elephant en¬ 
gaged, possibly, in hum¬ 
ming to himself, “I’m 
afloat, I’m afloat,” was 
picked up by a vessel and 
safely carried to London, 
which great metropolis it 
had not the least desire to visit, and which it failed to enjoy as a permanent 
residence. Such is the lack of effect of civilization upon the untutored barbarian! 
trumpet seal- 
