The seals are semi-aquatic mammals which have adapted to remain in the water for long periods of time and can also estar in the land. Seals are included in the order of carnivorous animals.
Characteristics of the seals
the seals are semi-aquatic animals which are very versatile for which there are many characteristics that describe them, which we can list as follows:
- They are animals whose body structure is flexible and elongated, essential to be able to be submerged and swim underwater faster.
- They have four firm, flattened, short, flipper-like hind limbs set back. They are very useful for swimming, but they are not very functional when it comes to being out of the water, although there are species of seals that can move nimbly on land.
- These animals in their adulthood present a fur short and often dense. There are species of seals that do not have hair, this varies in the habitat where it is found. The hair of this animal is not to protect them from low temperatures as in other animals, what really protects them from the cold is the thermal protection offered by the thick layer of fat that is located under the leather, represents to un fourth of the weight of the seal. In addition, its coat and characteristics are essential for their survival.
- These animals do not have ears but it does not mean that they do not have ears, on the contrary they have a very fine and sensitive hearing both in the air and in the water.
- When diving, these animals close their ears and nose hermetically so that the water does not enter them.
- The head is small and flattened, the long mustache hairs help it find prey and orient itself in the water.
- The claws on their front flippers allow them to grasp objects, rocks, and blocks of ice. They have five identical toes, while the tips of their hind flippers are more robust.
- The noises that the seals emit are called snorts, their breathing is deep and strong.
Types of Seals
There are thirty-three varieties of seal species currently identified in the world, of which we can mention a few:
- leopard seal: Second largest.
- Harp Seals: very numerous species lives in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
- Harbor Seal: they are usually small in size.
- Gray Seals: lives in the North Atlantic are the most photographed.
- Northern Elephant Seal: small size specimen.
- Southern Elephant Seal: It is the first largest in the world.
- Mediterranean Seal: They are characterized by having a clock mark on them.
What do they eat and how do they behave?
Seals never stray far from the shore because their food is in the water and the sea is their refuge. They feed mainly on mollusks, octopuses, crustaceans, and fish. Their diet, as can be seen, is varied, and this is determined by the area they inhabit and the species. They are carnivorous animals that feed on many types of fish, which reminds us of the wide variety of marine life. foods that marine animals consume in their respective ecosystems.
They dive into the water using their fins, and as we mentioned before, their whiskers and sensitive ears are used to catch their food, they stick their large teeth into them and swallow their food in one bite, like all animals they need water but seals They get it from food and thus avoid drinking salt water.
Where Do Seals Live?
Most of the seals live in seas of cold and temperate regions such as Antarctica are the most frequent areas, they can spend a long time in the High Seas, it should be noted that seals can also be found on more tropical coasts, but not very frequently since they are not friends of heat. These animals can withstand and survive very low temperatures, although this varies according to the species.
Seals that live in tropical areas do not have a layer of fat and are smaller, unlike those that live in cold areas, which have a thick layer of fat and are larger. Furthermore, their habitat is related to other ecosystems, as mentioned in aquatic ecosystems.
The seal out of the water
They become clumsy animals are very slow on the ground. They cannot walk on their hind flippers because they are backwards so they are forced to move as if they were crawling by supporting their front flippers and they crawl on their bellies with pushes or small jumps.
You can find a large number of seals gathered on the shore, crowded together to raise their body temperature, they shed their hair, play, sleep and mate, the herd is always seen moving together along all the coasts and they share the territory with penguins and others. semi-aquatic animals, on the rocks they move very easily and are one of their favorite places.
life among icebergs
Seals in areas with low temperatures spend almost all their time under the ice in search of food. The ice sheets are more than 1 meter thick, and they tear open the ice with their teeth to create a small hole in the ice so they can come out to breathe from time to time.
The hole is made small so that the polar bear cannot find it, as it is the seals' main enemy. The bear waits for the seals to come up for air, attacks them, and eats them. Underwater, this territory is defended by the males of the pack.
mating and reproduction
Seal reproduction occurs in May and June, with males fighting for dominance of the shoreline territory. They then force the female into their domain and mate. The males may even go without food to prevent another male from mating with the female in their territory.
After the continuous fights, the dominant ones will be the ones that will have the right to mate.. The mating ritual is to roll along the shore between them where hormones are released that attract the female, they place their snout on the other's neck and the act takes place. The female develops an egg protected by the uterus where they produce more hormones, she keeps it in her womb for 9 to 11 months.
Females every year mate in the same territory, give birth to a single offspring. If they have twins, they abandon one child to take better care of the other, in just four weeks the offspring are on their own. They are the only mammal that feeds for less time on breast milk, suckling only between ten and fourteen days.
Your big threat
The seal's fur is highly prized. There are also areas where its meat is consumed and its oil extracted. Hunting and fishing for seals are the main threats to this animal.
On land
There are always large groups that are found on the coasts, the only animal that attacks them on land is the polar bear, this when it is very hungry and like all wild animals it will instinctively attack them in order to feed itself.
In water
When threatened on land, they flee to the water where they feel safer. But like dolphins, seals sometimes end up in the nets set by fishing boats. Just as the polar bear is their main predator on land, we can also observe them in the water. Shark Characteristics, that the seal is hunted by them and by the whales.
Endangered seals
Humans are truly responsible for the extinction of this species, as well as other terrestrial and aquatic animal species around the world. They are responsible for harming them, killing them for their fur, destroying their habitat, depriving them of food, among other things.
Sometimes they are hunted to captivate them and use them in aquarium shows, just as it happens with dolphins. You have to be a little aware that everything is a chain and the extinction of the seals can result in the extinction of the species that feed on them.
