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Mar 22, 2021 · 3) They have whiskers they use like cats do. Seals and sea lions have many well-developed whiskers, much like cats. Like cats, they have a very acute sense of touch. Scientists think seals can use their whiskers to detect vibrations from swimming prey. Blind seals in the wild seem to be able to hunt and feed without sight.
A thick blubber helps harbor seals keep themselves insulated, thus decreasing heat loss. When on land, dilation of the blood vessels in the skin occurs to aid in the release of heat from the body. They sleep in the water using a posture known as ‘bottling,’ wherein their bodies are submerged in the water vertically, with just the heads above the surface to aid in breathing.
- Mammalia
- Chordata
- Carnivora
Harbor seals like to remain in familiar resting spots or haulout sites, where they are protected from adverse weather conditions and predation, near a foraging area. These animals used to suffer from hunting but now it is illegal in many nations within the animal's range.
- Sloth. Scientific name: Folivora. Native to: South and Central America. Sloths are arboreal creatures, which means they live in trees. However, they are quite slow and lazy when it comes to movement.
- Penguins. Scientific name: Spheniscidae. Native to: Southern Hemisphere. Penguins are well known for their clumsy behavior. Due to their upright posture, heavy bodies, short legs, and webbed feet, penguins can be quite clumsy when trying to move.
- Ostrich. Scientific name: Struthio camelus. Native to: Africa. This flightless bird is the largest living species of bird in the world and can weigh up to 300 pounds.
- Walrus. Scientific name: Odobenidae. Native to: Arctic and Subarctic regions. Walruses are large mammals that live in the Arctic and Subarctic regions. They can weigh up to 3,748 pounds and have a bulky body shape designed for optimal movement in the water.
Sep 26, 2023 · Like cats, wolves and dogs, but unlike other pinniped species, harbor seal retina have a visual streak and an area centralis which gives good peripheral detection of movement. Harbor seals can adapt rapidly to changes in light which is necessary when diving from daylight to depths where light is minimal.
The scientific name for harbour seal loosely means ‘sea-calf’ or ‘sea-dog’. Harbour seals are very distantly related to dogs, both evolving from prehistoric animals which were similar to modern dogs. 85 per cent of the UK’s harbour seals are found in Scottish waters.
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Feb 6, 2024 · Despite their social nature, harbor seals are also solitary hunters, primarily feeding on fish, squid, and crustaceans, using their keen sense of sight and sensitive whiskers to locate prey. Harbor seals are well adapted to life in the water, with streamlined bodies and powerful flippers that enable them to swim gracefully and dive to considerable depths in search of food.
