Vickie Maphis, age 11, of Strasburg, Va., for her question:
What is a sea elephant?
A seahorse has no hoofs and is no more than a few inches long. A sea anemone looks like a flower but is actually an animal. So lets not expect the sea elephant to be too much like Jumbo. A full grown African bull elephant may tip the scales at six tons. The sea elephant weighs no more than two and one half tons. True he is no midget, but big Jumbo weighs more than two of him, part from his size, but Jumbos most noticeable feature is his trunk. No elephant is a proper elephant without a trunk, And the male sea elephant has a trunk, though it in no way competes with Jumbo magnificent snozzle. It is a long, soft nosy; which hangs eight or nine inches over his mouth. But he cannot use it like Jumbo to grasp things and stuff them in his mouth.
The trunk of the sea elephant is really no more than a tauter. At certain times Pier, Sea Elephant wishes to make himself heard. He fills his trunk with air and lets forth a resounding roar. At such times the trunk is puffed out and curved down into the mouth.
The sea elephant's size and trunk make him a fascinating animal, but no one could call him a beauty. He is the giant of the seal family, though he has none of the charm of the performing seal. He is neither agile nor graceful. On land, he is very clumsy and moves slowly, like a quivering mass of jelly.
The giant of the soul elefant spends most of his life eating and sleeping. He is a deep water swimmer and goes down to catch himself dogfish, squid and small sharps. He also enjoys a salad of seaweed. After dinner he comes ashore and flops on the beach. He falls asleep and woe betide anyone who distrubs him. Being a true seal, he has no outer ears, but the slightest noise irritates him when he is trying to rest. He whacks a flipper on the ground and sends a shower of pebbles flying in the direction of the intruder. If this does not settle things, he is apt to growl end even bite ‑ anything for a quiet snooze.
Like all the seals, this fellow is a mammal. In August the bull seals migrate to certain islands and take their stands on the beaches. The females arrive 1ater. Then a battle royal begins, for each bull has to secure a whole harem of wives for himself. The young bulls are driven from the beaches. Each old bull is ready to fight a rival for his wives or his territory.
The young are born in the spring, just one to a mother. He is a chubby little follow, almost black, much darker than his parents. Being a mammal, he is fed on mother's milk. Mamma seal is very affectionate with her darling and even Papa finds time to take a loving, interest in each and every one of his offsprings.
At one time the elephant seal was plentiful around islands of the northern and southern oceans. But hunters destroyed most of them for their oil. A few exist on Guadalupe Island off Baba, California and on Campbell Island south of Now Zealand. The governments of Mexico and New Zealand protect them.