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Featured Collections:

burrowing owl videos
New: Burrowing Owl videos


arctic collectionSounds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge



Spectrograms and recordings from the
 National Park Service
 

 

New: Hear 90% of the West’s bird species and 95% of the region’s frogs and toads.
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Please take our survey.Featured Sound

Northern Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris

The Northern Elephant Seal is found in the Pacific Ocean as far west as Japan and Hawaii and breeds along the coasts of California and northern Mexico. The seals get their name because of their mammoth size and the male's large snout, which inflates and aids in vocalization. Females are 6 1/2 - 10 feet in length, while males can grow to 16 feet and weigh up to 6000 pounds.
 
The species spends about nine months of the year at sea, but comes ashore in the winter to breed. Large colonies can be found on coastal beaches and offshore islands as males compete for mates in dramatic fights and displays. A single dominant male can have a harem of 25-50 females.
 
Once hunted to near extinction in the late 1800s, the Northern Elephant Seal population is now stable due to conservation measures and has risen to more than 100,000 animals. Hear selected recordings.
  
Sources: Peterson Field Guide to Mammals; Ano Nuevo State Park; Friends of the Elephant Seal
 

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