Fig. 2
From: Southern elephant seal vagrants in Ecuador: a symptom of La Niña events?
Southern elephant seals (M. leonina) observed in the interior Guayas River Estuary Basin (a–c) and the Ecuadorian north coast (d) in 2017. The size of both the proboscis and body of this individual are diagnostic traits for an adult male of M. leonina. a, b Photos of the adult male (~ 5 m length) hauling out on the riverbanks of the Milagro and Arenal rivers. c Photo of the juvenile was observed in Yaguachi Municipality; the snout without a developed proboscis, as well as the size of this animal are attributes of a juvenile for this species (Photo credit: Newspaper El Milagreño). d Photo of subadult male with signs of moulting, observed resting on a beach of Tonsupa (Photo credit: Ministry of Environment of the Esmeraldas Province)