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How Big Do Seals Get?

Preview a graphic of seals, sea lion, and a walrus
(Smithsonian Institution)

Pinnipeds come in all shapes and sizes. The largest seal is the Southern elephant seal (bigger than even the walrus) and the smallest is the ringed seal. Some species are sexually dimorphic, meaning the two sexes look significantly different and often one grows larger than the other. For those species, the larger of the two sexes is represented.