On the elephant seal (Macrorhinus leoninus, Linn.) / by William H. Flower.

  • William Henry Flower
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the elephant seal (Macrorhinus leoninus, Linn.) / by William H. Flower. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    9/18 page 153
    Male. Adult or nearly so. Female. Very young 3934. Very young. 3934 A Anson’s. 3923. 3920. 3921. Mr. Mansel’s. 3921 A. Largest of Mr. Mose- ley’s spe- cimens. Upper canine:— 251 Length of enamelled crown 17 29 281 30 241 261 Ant.-post, diameter at base 10 21 18 18 21 21 21 Transverse diameter at base 8 16 16 16 18 18 20 Lower canine :— Length of enamelled crown 15 29 281 231 31 251 Ant.-post, diameter at base 10 21 20 19 23 22 ... Transverse diameter at base 7 • • • 16 15 19 17 ... Width between outer borders 1 of upper canines at base oi 44 54 100 107 128 140 enamelled surface J I have examined many isolated canines of Elephant Seals, including some which Mr. Moseley has been kind enough to put at my dis- posal, which he selected as the largest he could find from a number of skulls lying on the beach at Heard’s Island, and find none with crowns materially larger than those mentioned above, or differing greatly in the form or size of the root. I have, in fact, seen no tooth which, crown and root together, measures in a straight line between the apex of the crown and the middle of the root more than 6 inches, or 150 millims., or which exceeds in greatest diameter l’fi inch, or 40 millims., though these dimensions are very nearly reached in all the specimens which show signs of maturity. I am therefore not disposed to attach the same import- ance to Pernetty’s statement of teeth of this animal in the Falkland Islands 7 inches long2 and 3 in diameter, which my friend Dr. Peters does, and to infer from it the existence of a distinct species. It is, of course, possible, though as yet without proof, that in former times, before these animals were subjected to the severe struggle for existence occasioned by the remorseless pursuit of the sealers, many, or at least some favoured individuals, may have acquired a much larger size than at present; but before accepting the state- ment above quoted, it would be necessary to know whether the tooth of a Sperm Whale, or some other Cetacean, may not have been mistaken for that of a Sea-elephant. 1 Apex worn. 2 If measured along the curve, this would scacrely exceed the ordinary size as to length; but the “ trois pouces de diamettre ” is difficult to understand, especially as he adds, “ Ce n’est pas une des plus grandesand what does Pernetty mean by “ nous en avons compte vingt-deux telles quo celle-ci dans la natch oire d’un de ees lions, a laquelle il en manquoit encore cinq ou six • elles 6toient solides dans toute leur longueur, et ne sailloient guere plus d’un pouce ou d’un pouce & demi, hors de leurs alveoles ” ? (op. cit. p. 48). Surely it must have been the jaw of an Orca, and not a Seal, that he was describing.1'
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