Woodcut of "sea elephant" from Des Monstres et prodiges by Ambroise Paré, 1573. Des Monstres is filled with unsubstantiated accounts of sea devils, marine sows, and monstrous animals with human faces. With its extensive discussion of reproduction and illu
Woodcut of "sea elephant" from Des Monstres et prodiges by Ambroise Paré, 1573. Des Monstres is filled with unsubstantiated accounts of sea devils, marine sows, and monstrous animals with human faces. With its extensive discussion of reproduction and illustrations of birth defects, the book invited accusations of pornography. Elephant seals (also sea elephants) are large, oceangoing seals in the genus Mirounga. The two species, the northern elephant seal (M. angustirostris) and the southern elephant seal (M. leonina), both were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century, but numbers have since recovered. Elephant seals take their name from the large proboscis of the adult male (bull) which resembles an elephant's trunk. The bull's proboscis is used in producing extraordinarily loud roaring noises, especially during the mating season. Elephant seals breed annually and are seemingly faithful to colonies that have been established breeding areas.
Size: 4500px × 2286px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1573, 16th, ambroise, animal, animalia, art, artwork, bw, carnivora, carnivore, century, des, drawing, eater, elephant, fauna, historic, historical, history, illustration, mammal, mammalia, marvels, meat, meat-eater, mirounga, monsters, monstres, pare, paré, pinniped, pinnipedia, proboscis, prodiges, prodigies, sea, seal, trunk, tusks, woodblock, woodcut
