The common seal is an animal that belongs to the order of pinnipeds, the family of true seals. The common seal is a predator.
Appearance
The body of these animals is elongated, its shape is similar to that of a spindle. The head is oval. The muzzle is small. The eyes of the seal are expressive and always dark. The forelimbs are short. Animals have fangs. The body length can vary from 1.6 to 1.9 m. The common seal is a small representative of pinnipeds, the maximum mass of the predator is 150 kg, and the minimum is 60 kg. The color of the animal is grayish. There are dark spots all over the body. Often, individuals have black spots on the face and head. The color of newborns is identical to that of adult predators. Sexual dimorphism is expressed only in size: males are larger than females.
The muzzle of this animal is similar to that of a cat; seals even have whiskers – vibrissae, which are painted white. They are located on the upper lip of the seal in 10 rows.
Habitat
The common seal inhabits the subarctic and arctic climatic zones. The animal lives on the shores of the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean. The predator can be found in the territories of the islands of Great Britain, France and Iceland, sometimes even near Ireland. Today, the animal sometimes swims to the shores of Kaliningrad.
The habitat is represented by the shores of bays, estuaries of rivers next to reefs. The seal tries to avoid the open sea. The animal rarely migrates, prefers sedentary behavior.
Lifestyle
Common seals usually stick to their flock. Predators can only crawl, their hind legs have been transformed into flippers. Despite this, the seals swim well and can stay underwater for 45 minutes.
Reproduction
Pregnancy in seals lasts 10 to 11 months. Around the last days of May or June, low tide occurs, during which the female gives birth. Often one cub is born. A couple of hours after birth, the tide begins, and the newborn already swims away with its mother. A small seal gets rid of its fur in the womb and is born ready to conquer the sea. The length of a newborn is 60-80 cm, and its weight ranges from 8 to 12 kg.
Feeding the offspring lasts only a month. Then the female becomes pregnant again. Mating games of seals and mating are carried out in the water. Immediately after this, the animals begin to molt. This process takes a lot of effort, therefore seals spend almost all their time in rookeries. “Resting places” are located on the shores of islands, reefs. The seals that inhabit the Arctic seas and oceans mate and molt on the ice floe.
In females, puberty occurs at about 3-4 years. Males, on the other hand, become able to conceive only by the age of 5. Females live for about 30-40 years, produce offspring up to 28. Males die early: at 25.
The diet
Common seals feed on crustaceans and molluscs. Octopuses are the favorite food of seals. Animals often eat Arctic cape and capelin, herring with smelt.
Red Book
The common seal is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. The population of the Barents Sea is rather small, but it is not on the verge of extinction. The future of the Baltic population is more frightening, its numbers are at a critical level.
Natural enemies
Representatives of this species can be hunted by polar bears, but pinnipeds rarely become their prey. The most dangerous enemies of seals are killer whales. An animal can avoid death only by getting ashore, but usually this cannot be done.
The killer whale is the enemy of the common seal
Interesting Facts
- During the period when schools of fish most actively wander along the seas and rivers, seals enter the mouths of rivers.
- Molting in this species takes place in July-August.
- Seals from arctic latitudes can withstand extreme temperatures as low as -80 ° C.
- These animals have a 10 cm layer of subcutaneous fat and a fairly thick coat, consisting of hollow hairs. In the body of the animal there are a lot of blood vessels that heat the supercooled parts of the body. All this helps the animals to withstand the conditions of the north.
- Seals cannot hold their breath under water, so they gouge holes in the ice floes, to which they swim during the hunt every 2 minutes.
- In animals, a flat cornea and a spherical lens all help to better focus the gaze. The eyes of seals are highly developed and due to the fact that the pupil can greatly expand. The cornea is outside and protects all parts of the eye. All membranes of the organ of vision are protected by lacrimal fluid.
- The skull of the common seal is flattened, the cheekbones are quite wide apart. The mammalian brain is large, with convolutions covering the cerebellum.
- In the Russian Federation, there is a monument to the seal, which is located in Arkhangelsk. This animal saved the population of Leningrad from death during the Second World War.
- Animal teeth serve for a long time if the basis of the diet is fish. Seals can have between 19 and 36 teeth.
- Seals do not have ears, but animals hear well. Under water, the ears are closed with musculature.
- The parts of the brain that are responsible for smell are small, but smell is important in the life of predators. This is how they can determine whether it is their cub.
Seal video
