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The Seal has short, thick fur, grows to be up to 6.5 feet (2 metres) long and can weigh up to 375 pounds (170 kilograms). The whiskers (called vibrissae) help the seals sense of touch. The nostrils are closed in the resting state. Blubber is a thick layer of vascular fat found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians.
While there are many differences among the species, all seals have feet shaped like fins. In fact, the word pinniped means "fin-footed" in Latin. Those fin-shaped feet make them supreme swimmers ...
- What Kind of Creature Is The Seal?
- What’s The Scientific Name For Seals?
- What Does A Seal Look like?
- How Many Seals Are There in The World?
- What Are The Three Different Types of Seals?
- The Etymology of The Seal
- The Taxonomic Hierarchy of Seals
- What’s The Evolution of The Seal?
- The Anatomy and Physiology of The Seal
- Where Are Seals Found?
Seals are aquatic mammals, but they are more closely related to bears and skunks than any other marine mammals. That could be because they were once exclusively terrestrial, living entirely on dry land, but more about that later. Unlike other marine mammals, seals spend long periods on land using nearby oceans and lakes for foraging and hunting. Mo...
Seals are scientifically known as pinnipeds, which means fin-footed, and all seals have fin-shaped feet, or feet-shaped fins, depending on your perspective. This is one of just a couple of characteristics that all seals share, with the other being a fusiform or torped0-shaped body that tapers at both ends.
Whenever I think of seals, my mind automatically conjures up images of cute, furry Harp seal pups with their thick white coats and big, black eyes. Not all seals look like that; in fact, even adult Harp seals bear little resemblance to their pups. It’s difficult to see the similarities between an 8,800-pound walrus and a 20-pound seal pup, but ther...
There are so many different species of seals living in a diverse range of ocean and freshwater habitats that it’s difficult for anyone to accurately estimate the current world population. However, one thing’s for sure – while some populations are thriving, others are decreasing rapidly due to a variety of threats. According to the International Uni...
The 32 species of seals are divided into three species, with the first being the true seals. True seals appeared to have no ears, so also called earless seals. They do have ears; they just don’t have external ear flaps. Instead, the entire organ is hidden under their skin. That’s only one of many secrets we will reveal in this article! Species of e...
I struggled to track the exact origins of the word ‘seal,’ although some sources suggest that it could have come from an old European word meaning “to pull” or plow. Although that makes some sense, as seals do plow their way through the water, it’s by no means as descriptive as the Dutch word. They call it the “zeehond,” which means sea hound, and ...
Seals are mammals and, as such, belong to the Mammalian class along with over 6,000 other species. Within the class Mammalia, there are 26 different orders, of which seals fall into the order Carnivora, which also includes wolves, bears, hyenas, and dogs. Seals have their own sub-order, pinnipeds, but are divided into different families based on th...
In the dim and distant past, seals lived on the land just like most other members of the Carnivora order. When scientists discovered an Arctic fossil dating back some 20 million years, the evolution of the seal became much clearer. The Puijila darwini was an otter-like creature that lived on land but had webbed feet that enabled it to swim well eno...
Regardless of whether they’re Harbor seals or Ringed seals, all seals are shaped a little like bowling pins, with small heads and large, rounded bodies that taper towards their hind flippers. As they evolved into marine mammals, they adapted to their new environment, developing ingenious ways to regulate their body temperatures while developing acu...
Seals live in coastal waters all over the world, with different species inhabiting different climates and habitats. Northern fur seals and Monk seals are the most common species in the North Pacific, while the Southern Ocean is dominated by the highly specialized Crabeater seal. Up in the Arctic Ocean, you can expect to encounter any one of the six...
- 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.
Oct 11, 2016 · The body of a seal is specifically structured for life in the water, with a smooth, torpedo shaped torso, and flattened, powerful flippers, like four large swim fins instead of feet. In fact, the swim-fins scuba divers and backyard snorkelers use were modeled after the unique, compressed and web-toed feet of a seal.
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Mar 9, 2023 · All seals have four flippers (fore and hind flippers), which are fin-like appendages that assist them in moving on land and at sea. Eared seals have longer flippers than earless seals, and their fur is more visible, especially in sea lions. Seals weigh between 99 and 7100 pounds (45 and 3200 kilograms) and range in length from 3 to 5 meters.
