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Sep 26, 2024 · seal, any of 32 species of web-footed aquatic mammals that live chiefly in cold seas and whose body shape, round at the middle and tapered at the ends, is adapted to swift and graceful swimming.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
In general, marine mammals are larger than mammals on land, an adaptation that minimizes the area of skin in contact with the water. Elephant seals and Walruses can weigh up to 4 tons, and even the smallest seals are notably rotund.
- 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.
Only true seals and walruses are found in Eastern Canadian waters. The two resident species of seal in Maritime coastal waters are the grey and harbour seal. Occasionally other (Arctic migrant) species (harp and hooded seals and walruses) are seen.
Nearly all seal species are reliant on marine habitats, though some will enter estuaries and rivers in search of food. An outlier is the Baikal seal, which spends its whole life in Lake...
Nov 24, 2023 · Seals are a group of marine mammals classified under the order Carnivora. There are various seal species, with approximately 32 recognized types, divided into two main families: Phocidae (true seals) and Otariidae (eared seals, including sea lions and fur seals).
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Seals are semi-aquatic mammals, having adapted to life in the ocean. The bodies of true seals and walruses are shaped like a torpedo, with physical features like ears internalized and short flippers, which allows them to reach high speeds underwater, while that of a sea lion is more maneuverable and allows for better mobility on land due to ...
