--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [Giant northern elephant seals] were…" description: "\"“[Giant northern elephant seals] were presumed extinct as late as 1912 when a group of eight seals was spotted on Guadalupe Island in the South Pacific..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/stephen-j-o-brien-43665_adventure_giant-northern-elephant-seals-were-presu_3003890.jpg" --- # \[Giant northern elephant seals\] were presumed extinct as… ![“[Giant northern elephant seals] were presumed extinct as late as 1912 when a group of eight seals was spotted on Guadalupe Island in the South Pacific by a Smithsonian expedition, which shot seven of them! Fortunately they missed one and failed to spot a few others.” quote by Stephen J. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/stephen-j-o-brien-43665_adventure_giant-northern-elephant-seals-were-presu_3003890.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/stephen-j-o-brien-43665_adventure_giant-northern-elephant-seals-were-presu_3003890.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/stephen-j-o-brien-43665_adventure_giant-northern-elephant-seals-were-presu_3003890.jpg) > ““\[Giant northern elephant seals\] were presumed extinct as late as 1912 when a group of eight seals was spotted on Guadalupe Island in the South Pacific by a Smithsonian expedition, which shot seven of them! Fortunately they missed one and failed to spot a few others.”” [Stephen J. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The near‑extinction of northern elephant seals was revealed when a few survivors were discovered and mistakenly hunted. **In simple terms:** A small surviving population was almost wiped out by human error. Key Takeaway Protect vulnerable species before they disappear. Themes conservation human impact species survival Mood concerned urgent Type educational historical When to use this quote - wildlife research - policy making - environmental education Key Concepts extinction risk mistaken identity wildlife management Questions to Reflect On - How can we improve monitoring to prevent such errors? - What policies could better protect newly discovered populations? A Different Perspective Human actions can unintentionally threaten rare species. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Seals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seals/) ## Related quotes > [We seal our fate with the choices we take, but don't give a second thought to the chances we take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/we-seal-our-fate-with-the-choices-we-take-but-don-t-give-a-second/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [I have this awareness that the more dynamic the situation is, the more on guard I need to be that the dynamic isn't controlling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-have-this-awareness-that-the-more-dynamic-the-situation-is-the-more/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Whoever wins in 2016, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a Republican, I think they should make it their goal to seal that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/whoever-wins-in-2016-i-m-pretty-sure-it-s-going-to-be-a-republican-i/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [Taking out werewolves, I gather and surmise, is akin to taking out a SEAL team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/taking-out-werewolves-i-gather-and-surmise-is-akin-to-taking-out-a/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [ You can't put toilet paper in the toilet \[in the space ship\], so there's a separate vacuum can in front of you on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/you-can-t-put-toilet-paper-in-the-toilet-in-the-space-ship-so-there-s/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [There were events that stuck in my mind. 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