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Seals are a semi-aquatic species, also commonly referred to as pinnipeds. There are three general categories of seals, classified as Phocidae, consisting of the true seals, Otariidae, consisting of fur seals and sea lions, and Odobenidae, which currently includes only walruses.
- Mammalia
- Chordata
- Carnivora
- Size and Weight: True seals range in size from the 3 feet and 100 pounds Baikal seal to the 16 feet and 7,100 pounds southern elephant seal male. The southern elephant seal male is not only the largest seal species but is also the largest member of the order Carnivora.
- Appearance: Seal appearance varies among the species. However, all species have feet-shaped fins, allowing for these species to be expert swimmers. Most species have thick layers of fat, also known as blubber, to keep the animals warm in cold oceans, in addition to dense fur.
- Diet: Seals are opportunistic carnivores, eating mainly fish while in the water.
- Habitat: All pinniped species are considered semi-aquatic marine mammals that spend some of their time at sea and the other part of their lives on land or sea ice.
- They have been around for a long time. Fossil records indicate that the ancestors of modern seals first entered the ocean on the west coast, about 28–30 million years ago.
- There are three different major types of pinnipeds. “Phocid seals” are also called “true seals” and include several species such as harbor seals and gray seals.
- 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.
- They can go for long periods of time without eating. A seal’s body stores enough fat in the blubber layer to allow the animal to go for extended periods of time without eating.
- Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) The Harbor seal is a marine mammal found in the coastal waters of the northern hemisphere. They have streamlined bodies and dappled coats ranging from silver-gray to brown or black.
- Gray Seal (Halichoerus grypus) The North Atlantic is home to Gray Seals and large pinnipeds with snouts resembling horses. This is why they are also called Horsehead Seals.
- Harp Seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) Harp seals are a species found in the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. They have a distinctive black harp or wishbone-shaped pattern contrasting their silvery-gray fur.
- Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida) The Ringed Seal is the smallest of the Arctic seals, featuring dark spots surrounded by light rings on their fur. As the smallest seal in the Arctic, they weigh 110 to 150 pounds and measure up to 5 feet long.
- The Baikal Seal is the Only Freshwater Seal in the World. The Baikal seal, one of the smallest true seals, marks the seal’s evolutionary transition from terrestrial to semi-aquatic.
- When Seals Dive, their Brain Temperature Falls. During a fifteen-minute dive, hooded seals’ brain temperature dropped by three degrees Celsius, indicating that the brain was using less oxygen.
- Badgers, Skunks, and Bears are all Related to Seals. Evolutionary biologists have debated the origins of seals for more than a century. While scientists are confident that pinnipeds descended from land-dwelling predators, they disagree on the exact stages between terrestrial predecessors and present marine mammals.
- Leopard Seals are Among the World’s Top Ten Most Enormous Seals. Female leopard seals, the bigger of the two sexes, can weigh up to 590 kilograms (1,300 pounds) and reach a length of 3.5 meters (10 feet).
Oct 11, 2016 · The true seals, also known as the earless seals and the crawling seals, are over 18 species of semi-aquatic marine mammals of the family Phocidae. They are one of three families within the super family known as pinnipeds. Pinniped means feather (pinni) foot (ped) in Latin.
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Seals are carnivorous and dive underwater to hunt for fish, crustaceans, seabirds, and other marine animals. Whales, sharks, and even other seals are the primary non-human predators of seals.
