Search results
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. There are two types of seals: the earless, or true, seals (family Phocidae); and the eared seals (family Otariidae), which comprise the sea lion s and ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Scientific Name: Pinnipedia. Diet: Carnivore. Average Life Span In The Wild: Up to 30 years. Size: 3 feet to 20 feet long. Weight: 100 pounds to 4.4 tons. There are 33 species of pinnipeds...
According to the IUCN’s classifications, seven seal species are “Endangered” or “EN” including the Hawaiian fur seal, the Galapagos fur seal, and the Australian sea lion. Three are categorized as “Vulnerable” or “VU” – the northern fur seal, the hooded seal, and the walrus.
- Mammalia
- Chordata
- Carnivora
The ringed, ribbon, spotted and bearded seals, collectively known as “ice seals,” are Arctic inhabitants. The entire ringed seal lifecycle relies on ice and rapid ice loss in the Arctic causes seal pups to be prematurely separated from their mothers during the milking period.
May 27, 2024 · Lithe, limber, and agile, the seal is a master of aquatic locomotion. The seal’s paddle-shaped flippers and unique physiology enable it to thrive in even the most perilous aquatic conditions. It is an inquisitive, social, and communicative mammal adapted to living on both land and sea.
- Female
- October 10, 1988
- Optimization Editor
The largest seal is the Southern elephant seal (bigger than even the walrus) and the smallest is the ringed seal. True seals lack ear flaps and propel themselves through the water with their hind flippers.
Seals are aquatic mammals which belong to the family ‘ Pinnipedia ‘ which means ‘winged-feet’ and refers to their flippers, which are specially adapted for life in the sea. There are 33 species of seal worldwide, two of which live around the British coastlines.