Seal Facts
Seal Facts
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Seals are group of marine mammals that live in various regions of the world. They can survive both in polar and in tropic water. Seals are divided in two families: one that includes seals with ears, like sea lion, and other that includes earless seals, like common seal. There are 33 species of seals in total.
| Interesting Seal Facts: |
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| Seals spend much of their life in water, but they mate, give birth to babies and take care of them on the shore. |
| Thick fur and blubber offer protection against freezing temperatures. |
| When they are on the land, they live in huge colonies with over thousand seals. |
| Seal produce milk with 50% fats. Their babies gain 3-5 pounds daily thanks to milk. |
| Largest seal is Southern elephant seal that can reach 13 feet in length and weight up to 2 tones. Smallest seal is Galapagos fur seal that has 4 feet in length and weighs only 65 pounds. |
| Seals have more blood in their body than other animals. Since blood cells keep the oxygen, seal can dive longer than other animals. |
| Seal can hold its breath for 2 hours which is a record in the animal world. |
| When they dive, they decrease the heart rate for 50-80%. Elephant seal will decrease number of heart beats from 112 to 20-50 during diving. |
| They can dive up to 1000-1300 feet deep when they are searching for food. |
| They eat squids and fish usually. |
| Seals have whiskers that help them detect the vibration of the prey under water. |
| Their worst enemies are orca, white bears and sharks. |
| Seals (and especially baby seals) are victims of the commercial hunt in Canada. Their fur is used in fashion industry. Other than that, seals are hunted for their oil and skin. |
| Pollution of the ocean or oil spills negatively affects survival of the seals. |
| If they reach adulthood, seals can live up to 30 years. |
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