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- Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica) Endemic to Lake Baikal. Of course, if just one of the world’s freshwater systems could have an isolated population of obligate freshwater seals, it would be Lake Baikal.
- Caspian seal (Pusa caspica) Native to the Caspian Sea. The Caspian seal favors the brackish waters of the Caspian Sea, but its subpopulations may routinely enter purely freshwater tributaries like the Volga River and Ural River.
- Iliamna Lake seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi) Endemic to Iliamna Lake. A subspecies of the harbor seal, the Iliamna Lake seal has a landlocked population in Alaska’s largest body of freshwater.
- Ladoga ringed seal (Pusa hispida ladogensis) Endemic to Lake Ladoga. Lake Ladoga is a large freshwater system in northwestern Russia, where it is connected to thousands of rivers.
Jun 18, 2019 · Iliamna Lake is the largest body of freshwater in Alaska and the home to a unique population of seal that spends its entire life in freshwater. Since most seal populations live in saltwater or travel between salt and freshwater, this population of Iliamna Lake seals is globally rare. NOAA Fisheries scientist Dave Withrow took this aerial photo ...
Oct 16, 2024 · Additional Media Contact: Gisele Galoustian, 561-985-4615, ggaloust@fau.edu. Photo by Peter WestleyDonna Hauser, right, samples seal scat in Iliamna Lake, Alaska, in 2015. The scat sample was used to help identify the seal’s genetics. In Alaska, harbor seals thrive in the chilled water of Iliamna Lake, sliding their blubbery bodies onto ...
- List of The Common Types of Seals
- Physical Description and Appearance
- Distribution
- Habitat
- How Long Do They Live
- What Do They Eat
- Behavior
- Adaptations
- How Do They Reproduce
- Conservation
There are 34 known species of seals in the world. These consist of 18 true or earless seals, 15 eared seals, which include fur seals and sea lions, and the walrus.
Size: Length: 3 -16 ft (1 – 5 m) Weight: 99 – 7100 lb (45 – 3200 kg) The Baikal seal is the smallest at 3ft and 99lbs, while the male Southern Elephant seal is the largest, measuring 16ft and 7100lbs. Flippers: All seals have four fin-like appendages called flippers, which help them move on land and sea. Seals and walruses have shorter flippers, wh...
They are found in seas and oceans worldwide, mostly preferring the colder waters of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Some are also found in inland lakes in Finland, Russia, and Siberia. The exceptions are the monk seals, which live in tropical waters, and the Baikal seal, which is exclusive to the freshwater lake Baikal.
Though they spend long periods in water, they will come on land for short periods to rest, breed, or shed. Those living in polar regions can be spotted on ice floes or large floating ice sheets, while those in more temperate climes are seen on boulders or rocky outcrops close to the sea.
Seals have high longevity and can live up to 25-30 years. The longest living seal recorded is a female Gray seal off the coast of the Shetland Isles in Scotland who lived up to 46 years.
Carnivorous in nature, their diet consists of seafood like crabs, krill, mackerel, mollusks, octopi, salmon, and squid. They also hunt birds, especially penguins, and even prey upon juvenile seals. Some pinnipeds have more specific tastes, such as the crabeater seal, which, contrary to its name, is a filter feeder sustaining on krill. The walrus us...
All three types of seals have unique forms of vocalization – sea lions bark, other eared as well as earless seals grunt and slap water, and walruses produce gong-like noises.These pinnipeds have developed several feeding strategies, including pierce feeding, grip and tear feeding, suction feeding, and filter-feeding. However, they are known to employ multiple strategie...They are very social creatures but don’t form close relationships. Groups can be massive with over a hundred members, though hunting tends to be solitary.The seal is a very intelligent animal, capable of remembering patterns for about 18 seconds and repeating them verbatim. They are among the few species that show rhythmic entrainment, i.e., a respo...In order to survive in harsh cold environments, seals have a layer of extra fat referred to as blubber. This layer helps them maintain their body temperature by regulating blood flow, passing blood...Most seals have a layer of dense fur to provide insulation. Only walruses are sparsely covered in fur.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 flipper...To prevent a bout of decompression sickness as a result of nitrogen bubbles getting trapped in the blood while resurfacing, seals will collapse their lungs to release any stored air when they dive.Seals mate annually and are generally promiscuous, though monogamy has been observed in certain species. Breeding can take place both on land and sea after forming a colony. Both sexes build up extra blubber reserves – the males need additional energy for courting a mate and warding off competitors, while the females need it to nurse and take care ...
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. There are several threats to them, including getting caught in fishing nets...
- Mammalia
- Chordata
- Carnivora
Pinnipeds come in all shapes and sizes. (Smithsonian Institution) Pinnipeds include the families Odobenidae (walrus), Phocidae (true seals), and Otariidae (fur seals and sea lions). Today, there are 33 species. Some species exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning the two sexes look distinctly different from one another.
Aug 30, 2024 · 5. They Have "Smokers' Blood" To Help Survive Deep Dives. Both seals and heavy human smokers have high levels of carbon monoxide in their bloodstreams, a lesser-known seal fact. While humans ...
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Sep 26, 2024 · seal, any of 32 species of web-footed aquatic mammal s 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 ...
