AnAge entry for Mirounga leonina

Classification (HAGRID: 02228)

Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Carnivora
                Family: Phocidae
                    Genus: Mirounga
Species
Mirounga leonina
Common name
Southern elephant seal
Synonyms
Mirounga leonina crosetensis, Mirounga leonina falclandica, Mirounga leonina macquariensis, Phoca leonina, Macrorhinus leoninus macquariensis, Macrorhinus leoninus crosetensis

Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits

Maximum longevity
Not yet established
Observations

The total gestation time, of about 11.5 months, includes a 3 to 4 months period of delayed implantation [0443]. Males are typically much bigger than females. In the wild, males have been reported to live more than 23 years [0001], and there are anecdotal reports of animals living over 25 years. Their longevity in captivity has not been studied in detail, but one specimen lived 23.7 years [0671].

Life history traits (averages)

Female sexual maturity
1,059 days
Male sexual maturity
1,825 days
Gestation
220 days
Weaning
21 days
Litter size
1 (viviparous)
Litters per year
1
Inter-litter interval
365 days
Weight at birth
42,500 g
Weight at weaning
124,500 g
Adult weight
1,400,000 g
Postnatal growth rate
0.0008 days-1 (from Gompertz function)

Metabolism

No information on metabolism is available.

References

External Resources

Integrated Taxonomic Information System
ITIS 180671
Animal Diversity Web
ADW account (if available)
Encyclopaedia of Life
Search EOL
NCBI Taxonomy
Taxonomy ID 9715
Entrez
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Ageing Literature
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Images
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Internet
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