Written By John Bradley
Seals are part of the Pinniped Order of marine mammals. The pinniped order of marine mammals also includes sea lions, walruses, and fur seals. There are 33 species of pinnipeds in the world and all are believed to have evolved from once terrestrial otter-like creatures.
Seals prefer cold sea waters. Cold sea waters are primarily found in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. There are four ice specialized species breeding on the Antarctic ice, the Leopard seals, Ross seals, Weddell seals, and Crabeater seals.
In the wild, Grey Seals can live for up to 35 Years. Female seals are boasting a higher life expectancy than male seals. Female seals can get up to 30 years old in the wild, while male seals rarely reach the age of 25.
The smallest seal species is the Galapagos Fur Seal (1m in length and 45kg in weight) whilst the largest is the Southern Elephant Seal which weighs a whopping 3,850kgs and measures up to 5m in length!
Some seal species, like the Leopard Seal, feed off fellow seals! Most, however, feed off crustaceans, fish and seabirds (if they can catch them).
The Crabeater Seal boasts the largest population of all the seal species. The Crabeater Seal can be spotted on an Antarctic cruise. Estimates put their numbers at between 2 and 75 million individuals, worldwide. As cute and friendly as they may look, seals can actually be fervently territorial and quite aggressive.
Seals usually only come on land to escape predators like whales and sharks, as well as to mate, give birth, feed and moult.
Seal will dive up to 900m in search for food. Some seals can hold their breath underwater for up to 2 hours! The Northern Elephant seals spend the majority of their time at depth. They are only coming to the surface for a few minutes between dives. Before the dive, the Elephant seal first exhales to empty their lungs. During their long migration trek, these creatures dive for food in this manner.
Because of the high fat rate, seal pups can put on 2kgs a DAY. That should make you feel a little better about your Christmas and New Year calorie splurge!
