Seal Facts - Logiee22 (best free e book reader txt) 📗

unique for each one of them. Researchers use these white patches to identify the individuals when they are observing them in the wild. They also feature two pairs of nipples that are retractable. No other seals in the world have this feature.

Distribution

True to their name, the Mediterranean Monk Seal is found in the Mediterranean Sea. They are also found around the Eastern portion of the Atlantic Ocean.

Behavior

These are very calm and mellow seals out there, and they tend to be loners even though they live in the same proximity. They are also very quiet, with the majority of their sounds being before they wish to mate with another. They live a very solitary existence that is quite routine.

Diet /Feeding

This particular type of seal hunted for food during the day and then sleeps and rests at night. They consume fish, mollusks, octopus, and squid. They are able to dive deep into the water too when they need to find more food to sustain them. However, most of the time they only go about 300 feet into the water.

With the number of them being so low, there tends to be more than enough of a food source for them to survive on. However, there are often fishermen in these same areas and so they can become competition. They swallow their food instead of chewing it and they move along the water very slowly looking for their prey.

Reproduction

Males and females of this species of seal are about to start reproducing around four years of age. There isn’t very much known about this process though and researchers continue to try to piece it all together. There are a few key elements that they have been able to identify though. For example this is one of the few seals that give birth in the water as most of them do so on land. They seek out deep caves in the water where they will have their pups.

It is also known that they reproduce all year long instead of during a particular mating season. While many pups are born each year, less than half of them survive the first three months of life. It is believed the many storms that occur in the natural environment for the Mediterranean Monk Seals is the main cause of their death.

It is also believed that these pups don’t have the best genetic materials anymore. This is due to limited selection when it comes to breeding. With so few of them left in the world they are too closely linked to each other.


Conservation

If the Mediterranean Monk Seal is going to survive, then very proactive conservation efforts have to be made. There are only about 450 of them left in the world and that means time is running out to increase their numbers. They are very high on the list of endangered animals at this point in time. With the right conditions these seals can live in the wild up to 25 years.

Human Interaction

Researchers believe that the Mediterranean Monk Seal is very shy and doesn’t like to be around humans. This could explain why they have moved from giving birth on land to doing so in the caves under the water. As people continue to move closer and closer into the natural habitat area of these seals it is going to require them to continue further adaptations of their current behaviors.


Antartic Fur Seal


The coloring of the Antarctic Fur Seals allow them to be easily identified. The males feature a very dark brown color. The females offer more of a grayish color as due to the young pups. The males can weight up to 480 pounds but the females are much smaller at about 200 pounds. Both can be about 6 feet in length.

They feature external ears which is noticeable because most of the species of seals don’t. You will also notice that they have a nose that is very short but very wide. They have long whiskers and they have waterproof fur on their bodies. They are more slender than other types of seals but they are also very strong.

Distribution

There is quite a diverse distribution out there when it comes to the Antarctic Fur Seals. They have been found in very cold areas as well as those that are very warm. Some have even been identified around Brazil. The fact that they are so spread out is really remarkable considering how low their numbers once were.

Behavior

While they do gather in large groups for the breeding process, most of them are very isolated. They tend to live alone both on land and in the water the rest of the time. The females are very good caregivers to their pups until it is time for them to go on their own. The Antarctic Fur Seals love to spend their time on land though so they can soak up the sunlight.

Diet /Feeding

The Antarctic Fur Seal can dive and remain under the water for up to 10 minutes at a time. They consume large amounts of krill, fish, and squid while in the water. They are also known to consume small birds while on land. Many of these types of seals will feed at night due to that being the best time to find what they are interested in. When they hunt for food really depends on the location where they live.

Reproduction

Both males and females are ready to mate when they are about four years old. These seals move towards the common breeding ground where more than 95% of the species gather for the event. This is found around the islands on the Antarctic Polar Front. The males arrive first and begin to battle each other as only the strongest will get the chance to mate with the females that are on their way.

What is interesting is that the females are already pregnant when they arrive at the breeding grounds. They have their pups within the first couple of days after arriving. About a week later they are ready to mate again. They will nurse for several days, leave to feed for several days, and then nurse again. While they are gone the pups are able to live off of the fat reserves in their body.

A high percentage of these pups don’t make it past their first year. They are favorite snacks of predators including Killer Whales and Leopard Seals. Others simply aren’t able to fend for themselves in the water and so they don’t get the nutrition that they need.

Conservation

There aren’t any conservation efforts in place for the Antarctic Fur Seal at this time. There are more than 4 million of them out there so that is good news. However, they were once driven to the brink of extinction in the 19th century. The numbers were able to increase after they were protected under the Antarctic Treaty. The males have a shorter life span of approximately 15 years. The females can live up to 25 years.


Galapagos Fur Seal


The Galapagos Fur Seal is medium in size compared with other species. They are a dark brown to light gray color. You can tell the males and females apart as the males are much larger.

Distribution

These fur seals are only found on the Galapagos Islands, which is where their name stems from. If you aren’t familiar with the location, it is a group of islands around Ecuador. They don’t migrate anywhere else, but they do move down the shore to the breeding area that has been established for them.

Behavior

You will find that the Galapagos Fur Seal is one species that spends more time on the land than any other. They still spend about 70% of their time in the water but compared to other seals this is much less than normal. They prefer to lay on the rocks than on the sandy areas. It is believed that these rocks help them to cool down their body temperature while on the land.

Research has shown that the Galapagos Fur Seal actually sweats if it gets to hot. It has to work very hard to cool its body temperature down. It is believed that the mothers teach this process to their pups at a very early age. This process is called Thermoregulation and it works by controlling the flow of blood to the flippers. More is sent to them when they are warm and it is pushed away when they are cold.

Diet /Feeding

Since these seals love to get as much sun as possible, they do their feeding at night after the sun goes down. They go in cycles though and some have been known to spend up to 70 hours at a time looking for food when necessary. The moon cycles seem to have a huge impact on their feeding habits as well. They tend to feed less during the full moon cycle.

It isn’t uncommon for them to spend up to six days in the water and then one full day on land. The males are extremely protective of their land territory though. They won’t leave it until they absolutely have to go in search of food. They tend to consume fish that are very close to the shore lines.

Reproduction

The males are extremely dominate over their area when it comes to reproduction. They can have a group of females from a couple to more than fifty. The males arrive at the breeding grounds first in order to take their place among the other males. Not all of them will get to mate, only the biggest and the strongest.

When the females arrive they will give birth to the pups they are already carrying. After only a couple of days they begin to mate again. The eggs aren’t immediately fertilized though. Instead what is known as delayed implantation occurs which means that it will take several months before the uterus attaches to it.

This species of seal spends more time with the pups than any other. This is because they nurse for a longer period of time. They will leave the pup to go feed themselves and then come back while many others end up staying with their pup as long as they can and then going to eat.

Conservation

There are currently about 40,000 remaining Galapagos Fur Seals out there. The number of them was severely reduced in the early 1980’s due to an El Nino. In the past there have been plenty of conservation efforts in place. Many of them involved eliminating the use of fishing nets in the areas where they live. That has helped to reduce accidental injury and death of this species of seal. The average life span of a Galapagos Fur Seal is about 20 years.


Northern Fur Seal


There are some features of the Northern Fur Seal that make them simple enough to tell apart from other types of seals. They have very short heads with a mouth that is curved in shape. They also feature a very small nose and very thick fur.

You will be able to differentiate the males from the females based on their size. The males are much larger than the females. They are twice the length and often three