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Seals are aquatic
mammals.
Seal are part of
the family Pinnipedia.
Pinnipedia means
winged-feet
and refers to the
seal's flippers.
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Seals
Classification:
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Pinnipedia
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Seals are divided
into two families,
the Phocidae, which
includes the earless
or'true'seals
and the Otariidae,
the eared seals
(aka sea lions,
furred seals).
Sub-species
of Seals: There
are 32/33 species
of seals
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True
Seals
Baikal Seal
- Phoca sibirica
Bearded Seal
- Erignathus
barbatus
Caribbean
Monk Seal
- Monachus
tropicalis
Caspian Seal
- Phoca caspica
Crabeater
Seal - Lobodon
carcinophagus
Grey Seal
- Halichoerus
grypus
Harbour Seal
- Phoca vitulina
Harp Seal
- Phoca groenlandica
Hawaiian Monk
Seal - Monachus
schauinslandi
Hooded Seal
- Cystophora
cristata
Grey Seal
Halichoerus
grypus
Leopard Seal
- Hydrurga
leptonyx
Mediterranean
Monk Seal
- Monachus
monachus
Northern Elephant
Seal - Mirounga
angustirostris
Ribbon Seal
- Phoca fasciata
Ringed Seal
- Phoca hispida
Ross Seal
- Ommatophoca
rossii
Southern Elephant
Seal - Mirounga
leonina
Spotted Seal
- Phoca largha
Weddell Seal
- Leptonychotes
weddellii
Eared
Seals
Australian
Sea Lion -
Neophoca cinerea
California,
Galapagos
and Japanese
Sea Lions
- Zalophus
californianus
New Zealand
Sea Lion -
Phocarctos
hookeri
South American
Sea Lion -
Otaria flavescens
Steller Sea
Lion - Eumetopias
jubatus
Fur Seals
Antarctic
Fur Seal -
Arctocephalus
gazella
Galapagos
Fur Seal -
Arctocephalus
galapagoensis
Guadalupe
Fur Seal -
Arctocephalus
townsend
Juan Fernandez
Fur Seal -
Arctocephalus
philippii
New Zealand
Fur Seal -
Arctocephalus
forsteri
Northern Fur
Seal - Callorhinus
ursinus
South African
and Australian
Fur Seals
- Arctocephalus
pusillus
South American
Fur Seal -
Arctocephalus
australis
Subantarctic
Fur Seal -
Arctocephalus
tropicalis
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Size: Seals
in a variety of
shapes, sizes and
colors. The smallest
seal is the Galapagos
fur seal, which
measures 4 feet
in length and weighs
65 bls. The largest
seal is the Southern
Elephant seal, which
measures up to 13
feet in length and
weighs up to 2 tons.
Habitat: Seals
can be found in
almost all ocean
waters around the
world, from the
Arctic to tropical
waters. Seals can
be found in a variety
of ocean habitats.
The largest concentrations
of seals are found
in California and
New England. Most
seals are found
in coastal waters
and rocky shores.
Seal
in Other
Languages:
Afrikaans:
Seehond
Czech:
Lachtan
/ Tulen
Dutch:
Zeehond
Estonian:
HUljes
Finnish:
Hylje
French:
Phoque
Gaelic:
Ron
German:
Robbe /
Seehund
Greenland:
Puisi
Hungarian:
Foka
Icelandic:
Selur
Indonesian:
Anjing Laut
Irish:
Ron
Italian:
Foca
Latin:
Phoca
Latvian:
Ronis
Lithuanian:
Ruonis
Malay:
Anjing Laut
Norwegian:
Sel
Old English:
Seolh
Old Norse:
Kopr
Polish:
Foka
Portuguese:
Foca
Romanian:
Foca
Scottish:
Seal / Selch
Serbian:
Tuljan
Slovenian:
Tjulenj
Spanish:
Foca
Swahili:
Sili
Swedish:
Sal
Turkish:
Fok
Zulu:
Umnyama
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Diet: Seals
are carnivores.
Seals feed on smaller
aquatic animals,
including fish,
crustaceans and
squid, and some
seal species feed
on penguins.
Senses: Seals
have a keen sense
of smell in air.
Description:
Like all mammals
seals are warm blooded,
the seals that are
in cold waters have
thick layers of
blubber to keep
them warm. Seals
that live in warmer
waters have less
blubber. A seal's
body tapers from
the chest towards
the tail. Seals
can be brown, tan,
white, or black,
some species have
mottled coloring.
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Behavior: Seals
spend about
half of the
time in water,
and the other
half is spent
on land. |
Did
You
Know?
Most
species
of
seals
return
year
after
year
to
the
same
area.
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Gestation:
Seals carry their
young 8 to 12 months,
depending on the species.
Birth: Seals
give birth on land.
Seals typically
give birth to a
single calf at a
time.The pups develop
rapidly, with some
able to swim within
a few hours of birth.
Sexual Maturity:
All eared and earless
seals are polygamous.
The mature bulls
gather a harem of
females. The size
of the seal harem,
ranges from 3 to
40 females.
Life Span:
Most seal species
live in the wild
20-40 years or more
depending on the
species. Predators
of seals include
sharks, orcas and
polar bears.
Athleticism:
Seals can swim
up to 15 to 18 mph.
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