UPDATED: 2007-01-12

The elephant seal is notably characterized by its enormous proboscis (enlarged nose), which in adult males grows about a foot in length and hangs over its mouth. Elephant seals are highly sexually dimorphic, meaning the males and females differ in size considerably. Females give birth for the first time at an average age of 3 to 4 and have an average life expectancy of about 20 years. Males are mature at 5 years, don't reach high rank until 8 with prime breeding years between 9 and 12; they have a life expectancy of 14 years.

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