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Orca vs Southern elephant seal

Orca vs southern elephant seal
Orca is larger on weight
Orca is 1.6× southern elephant seal on weight.

An orca and a southern elephant seal can be compared on 3 measures. The figures below are typical adult or full-size values, with the larger of the two in bold.

Side by side

Larger value in bold. Ranges reflect genuine variation, not uncertainty.
Orca Southern elephant seal
Weight 1,300–10,000 kg 350–4,000 kg
Length 5–9.8 m 2.6–6 m
Typical lifespan 30–90 yr 14–23 yr

What the numbers say

  • Orca is 1.6× southern elephant seal on weight.
  • Orca is 1.6× southern elephant seal on length.
  • Orca is 2.5× southern elephant seal on typical lifespan.

Weight compared.

Orca 1,300–10,000 kg
Southern elephant seal 350–4,000 kg

Orca

The largest dolphin and an apex predator everywhere it lives; distinct populations specialise on different prey.

Southern elephant seal

The largest carnivoran alive; bulls outweigh cows by a factor of five, the most extreme dimorphism of any mammal.

This is a comparison of published measurements, nothing more. It describes how two things differ on measures that have been recorded; it does not predict how they would fare against each other in any situation.

Common questions

Which is bigger, orca or southern elephant seal?
Orca is 1.6× southern elephant seal on weight. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.
How do orcas and southern elephant seals compare on length?
Orca: 5–9.8 m. Southern elephant seal: 2.6–6 m. Orca is 1.6× southern elephant seal on length.
How do orcas and southern elephant seals compare on typical lifespan?
Orca: 30–90 yr. Southern elephant seal: 14–23 yr. Orca is 2.5× southern elephant seal on typical lifespan.

Related pages

Sources

  1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — NOAA (Public domain (US Government))

How these figures are compiled and checked