# Where Do Northern Elephant Seals Live?

> Where northern elephant seals live: Offshore Pacific and breeding beaches of California and Mexico, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Least Concern.

- **Species:** Northern Elephant Seal (*Mirounga angustirostris*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore — squid, deep-sea fish, and rays
- **Habitat:** Offshore Pacific and breeding beaches of California and Mexico
- **Lifespan:** 11–13 years in the wild (females longer than bulls)
- **Top speed:** Up to 16 km/h (10 mph) on land; strong swimmer
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/elephant-seal/where-do-elephant-seal-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/elephant-seal/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) is a huge deep-diving seal of the eastern Pacific, breeding on beaches in California and Mexico and feeding far offshore. Bulls are enormous, reaching around 3.5 m long and weighing anywhere from 400 to 2,300 kg, far heavier than females. They dive for squid and deep-sea fish and typically live 11 to 13 years. The species is listed as Least Concern.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## Size and the elephant-like nose

Northern elephant seals are named for the large, inflatable snout of adult males, which resembles a short trunk and hangs over the mouth. Bulls are among the largest of all seals, growing to roughly 3.5 m and weighing from 400 kg up to about 2,300 kg, while females are far smaller. Males use the trunk-like proboscis as a resonating chamber, producing deep, clattering roars that carry across a crowded breeding beach. This dramatic size difference between the sexes is one of the most extreme of any mammal.

## Help protect the Northern Elephant Seal

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

---
Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/elephant-seal/where-do-elephant-seal-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.