There are lots of fun facts about the elephant seal. Did you know that?

• Elephant seals, also known as sea elephants, are large, ocean-going mammals.
• The elephant seal is named for its massive size as well as the trunk-like snout all adult males have.
• There are two species of elephant seals, Northern Elephant Seal and Southern Elephant Seal.
• The Southern Elephant Seal is the larger of the two and largest species of seal. Male southern elephant seals can reach 20 feet (6m) in length and weigh as much as 8,800 lbs (4,000 kg).
• The Northern Elephant Seal inhabits the temperate waters from California to Mexico. The Southern Elephant Seal lives in the cold waters of the southern hemisphere. Both species prefer rocky islands to shorelines.
• The elephant seal spends about 80% of its life in water. It can hold its breath for more than 2 hours and dive as deep as 1550 m (5885 feet). Elephant seals come ashore only to birth, breed and molt.
• Elephant seals eat fish, squid and even small sharks. They have few natural predators.
• The elephant seal, hunted for its oil, was nearly extinct at the end of the 19th century.
• Peninsula Valdes in southern Argentina is home to the fourth largest elephant seal colony in the world. Large mainland colonies are also found in Mexico and California.