How not to get into trouble in front of a child and not confuse a fur seal with a lion, or even a seal? How do you tell a seal from a fur seal and a sea lion? And how do fur seals and sea lions differ? What is the difference between a fur seal and a seal
It is not clear what pulled me to reconsider Dr. House, but this story begins with him;)
So, the 9th episode of the 7th season ... and the first phrase "How is a sea lion different from a fur seal?". This question was asked by the girl to her father. For 10 seconds, which the father asked again and laughed off in response to the question, I managed to flash the thought “Well, what, the lions are larger in size, and the seals have a sweet and kind face ....” And then the girl says the answer "Sea lions have ears ..."
After that, there was a thunder in my head and a murderous thought, “And the child will be smarter than me.”
These ears, cats and lions did not give me peace ... Honestly, I am, in a sense, an information maniac ... and I will dig until I “dig out”;) An hour later, I was enriched with new knowledge ... Here is what I managed to find.
Cats, lions, seals, walruses and ... all similar living creatures belong to the group of pinnipeds. But pinnipeds are divided ... into walruses, eared seals And real (non-eared) seals .
Sea lions just belong to the family of eared seals, and fur seals also belong to the same species. So both sea lions and fur seals with EARS. But there was no mistake in the script for this episode of Dr. House ... the mistake was in the translation ... The original phrase was: “What’s the difference between a sea lion and a seal?”. Seal in Russian translates as fur seal, and the seal ... But the seals are just the same without ears. So it is more logical to compare non-seals and lions and eared and non-eared seals.
Let's start with the most obvious - with the ears;) eared seals the ear is pronounced and even hangs down a little, a kind of small funny ear.
Wow, such a tiny and funny ear, it is almost invisible
But at seals there are no ears as such .. there is an “ear hole”, it is not visible at all. So if you do not consider the head of the seal right next to close range, it seems that he just has a smooth head (almost Kutsenko).
Try to find the "ear hole" in the seal seal
It makes no sense to compare the dimensions of the animals of both families themselves, since large-sized representatives are found in both.
They have different flippers: real seals - small and there are claws on the front paws of the fins, but the eared the fins are large and you can't manicure them. Because of the different structure of the fins, they move and swim differently.
Even this little lion cub has more flippers than a seal
Did you find flippers?
Members of the eared family decorously stride on land using both front and rear flippers; rear in more- they turn them as if forward and at the same time under themselves.
“And she herself is majestic ... she acts like Pava!”
BUT seals not so lucky with fins - so they act like real scouts - they move in a plastunsky way on their stomachs.
Crawl-crawl-crawl….
cat lions swim in the water "swooping" with their front flippers, just like birds flap their wings, and their "Earless" get together cheerfully sort out the front flippers in different directions and “taxi” the tail with the rear flippers.
And I'm flying…. and I'm flying…. and I want to fly! ....
Brownian movement with paws?
Lions (and others lived in the same family) they like to make noise and quarrel, they yell like they are cut and already loudly, already laying their ears. And here "real" seals they behave quite decently, breaking the silence only with a barely audible grunt.
And finally, about socialization in society. eared seals very gregarious and very socially active animals. They love to get together big pile and dabble in the sun. At the same time, they are absolutely not shy and love a lot, it’s normal for them to sleep on top of each other.
Somewhere in the bay near San Diego
Although they write that eared seals
on the contrary, they are individualists and rarely gather in seal flocks, but I have never seen them quite alone in splendid isolation. But they certainly do not climb each other's heads.
These guys are better behaved ;)
They are so different, but so cute!
The wildlife of the north of Scotland is so amazing that it requires a separate rubric! Tourists often ask the question: Seals and fur seals- is it the same, or is there a difference between them?". So first I will answer this question without going into unnecessary details ... And then I will briefly dwell on what is really important to know about our wild Scottish seals ...
AND seals and fur seals
, together with sea lions, walruses and seals, belong to Pinniped. That is, the paws of these mammals, in accordance with their lifestyle, were transformed into fins. They live and hunt in the sea, and crawl out onto land only during the molting period and for the production of offspring. However, there is still a difference: Fur seals and sea lions belong to the Eared seal family. because they have small auricles, and seals and seals belonging to the family of True seals there are only small auditory openings.
There are other differences related to the structure of the hind limbs, as well as "hairiness", but all these anatomical nuances can hardly be of serious interest to tourists. I will say more to family of real seals (that is, earless ones!) are, according to the Wikipedia article, sea Elephant And sea leopard! Well, isn't it a paradox?
In Germany, according to my German colleague, seals are called sea dogs! Therefore, I propose our democratic ;) British version! Here all pinnipeds are called seals
, which means simply seals
.
In the north of Scotland, in the bays of the North Sea, live and breed only Gray Seals (Grey seals) and Common Seals (Common seals). Both of them belong to the family of real seals However, there are differences between them as well.
Although it is unlikely that when you meet you will be able to distinguish one from the other, even if you know that: Harbor seals (OT) reach 1.8 m in length and weigh about 180 kg, and Gray seals (ST) - 2.5 m and 300 kg. The color is also not a guideline, as it is different when dry, as is the mottling. In OT, the spots are smaller in size, but there are much more of them. Moreover, both species can appear in the same place; they do not quarrel. The information that the nostrils in OT have a pronounced V-shape, while in ST they are at the same level and do not converge at the base, will hardly help either. Equally of little help is information about the more elongated muzzle of the ST and the smaller head with a less prominent forehead in the OT. In short, when they are in the water, it is extremely difficult to distinguish them!
The main thing is that all these cute animals, although they belong to detachment of Predators, feed exclusively on fish, lobsters and shellfish, and therefore, despite their impressive size, they do not pose a danger to humans, although they can scare.
Watching them is a real pleasure, and for even more pleasure it is desirable to know at least a little about their habits. Moreover, it is they who allow us to distinguish one from the other.
For example, OTs, being on land, bend, as if "drying" their tails, and resemble bananas in shape. In addition, when protecting individual space, they use more aggressive forms of behavior: shake their heads, growl, bite their flippers and wave them with all their might to scare the enemy.
You can see seals in our area throughout the year. They come close to the shore during high tides, which bring with them a lot sea fish. And at this time OT and ST can stick together. However, for molting OTs return to the ground from August to September, and STs from February to April. Reproduction also has its own story: FROM looking for suitable places for this delicate process in SUMMER - from June to August, and ST - in AUTUMN, from September to December. Usually this offshore islands and caves where the young can be protected from predators. Mothers feed their cubs for only four weeks, during which time they double their weight. At the end of the month, the mothers perceive the pups already as adults.
By the way, cubs also allow you to distinguish OT from ST. OT seal pups are born in tidal 
zone or directly at sea. They have a full-fledged adult seal skin, so they can easily swim and dive from birth. Mothers play a lot with their cubs and even ride them on their backs. ST cubs are born on the ground, dressed in a long white "robe", and therefore do not enter the water until the moment of molting. Therefore, if you remember this detail and see baby seals at certain times of the year, you can easily show your expertise!
Try to determine what kind of young seals appear in short videos scenes that I filmed on my mobile during my recent walk around the bay:
However, if seals are a subject of emotion for tourists, they can become a real disaster for fish farms! Trying to steal fish from fishing nets, they often cause serious damage. Thus, as elsewhere, the well-known philosophical rule "what is good for one may be extremely bad for another" works here!
As always, I will be grateful for comments and questions that help me learn even more! By the way, the white seal, the most popular souvenir here, was my favorite toy as a child. It happens!
P.S. All the maps in the pictures show destinations linked to the city of Forres where I live. However, for individual tours, I meet guests at the airport in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.
Certified tour guide to the north of Scotland (HOSTGA - Highlands Of Scotland Tour Guide Association)
At first glance, it may seem that absolutely all seals are the same - the representatives are so similar to each other. different types. And yet, looking closely, you can easily distinguish individuals belonging to different groups. Ears are the sign by which biologists separate real seals and eared seals.
The classification is based on the main hallmark. Harbor seals do not have auricles elevated above the skull.
Instead of ears, the common seal has two neat rounded holes. Nature took care to give the seal's body maximum streamlining, allowing it to swim at amazing speed.
Eared seals, which include the fur seal, according to scientists, descended from a different ancestor than real seals. Ancestors harbor seal there were mammals related to mustelids, the eared seal is a descendant of an animal from the canine family.
Fur seals and common seals, despite different ancestors, in the process of evolution acquired incredibly similar features. And yet the difference in origin is reflected in the habits inherent in the representatives of two different families.
Just look at how they behave on land pinnipeds mammals fur seal and common seal.
The similarity of animals is expressed in the following:
Both members of the families are pinnipeds, leading marine image life.
Appearance: the mass and body size of seals and fur seals are approximately the same.
Streamlined contours of bodies - the life of animals is inextricably linked with water.
Differences between common and eared seals:
On the shore, eared seals are more active, common seals, as a rule, just lie heavily, move little.
The body of the common seal is ideally adapted for swimming.
A seal, unlike a fur seal, can long time to be under water - almost 20 minutes.
Fur seals have better hearing and sharp eyesight.
While viewing photos from Spain, where Kirill spent two wonderful weeks ;-) we ran into a problem... we could not determine who is depicted in the photo from the dolphinarium: a seal, a fur seal, or, after all, a sea lion... and there is is there any difference between them at all?
Sea lions are just one of the many types of seals. Seals (together with walruses) are classified as pinnipeds (in Latin, this means "with legs-fins"). The limbs of seals, as the name suggests, are flippers; one pair of front and one pair of rear.
Seals are divided into two groups - true seals, which have only auditory openings, but no pinnae, and eared seals, so named because they have small pinnae. The group of real seals includes the gray seal, the harp seal and the huge elephant seal, which can reach a length of 6.5 m and a weight of 3.5 tons. Sea lions and fur seals are eared seals.
There are other differences between sea lions and their earless relatives besides the difference in ears. Sea lions have longer flippers than earless seals. Their flippers are wing-like and have no hair, while seal flippers are covered with hair. In sea lions, the back flippers are bent forward, due to which the animals on the shore lean on the ground with all their flippers. In real seals, the rear flippers do not bend forward, therefore, moving along the ground, they touch the front flippers and glide on their stomachs like caterpillars.
Fur seals and lions are two different subfamilies.
sea lions(lat. Otariinae) - a subfamily of eared seals, which includes the following five monotypic species:
- Northern sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), also called sea lion
- California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)
- Southern sea lion (Otaria flavescens)
- Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea)
- New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri)
Seals(lat. Arctocephalinae) - subfamily
Seals live in almost all latitudes of both hemispheres of the earth. Seals are found both in the Arctic and in Antarctica, in tropical and temperate latitudes of the ocean. Seals are also found in closed seas and lakes, on the territory of our country on Lake Baikal, Ladoga, in the Caspian Sea, in the Baltic, there are representatives in the waters of the Black Sea and, of course, the main population in the waters of the Northern Arctic Ocean.
The seal belongs to the carnivorous order (previously pinnipeds, now the classification has been changed). Main types real seal and eared seal. These include the harp seal, striped, spotted, Caspian, white-bellied, sea hare, a monk, as well as a seal. The seal is perfectly adapted to life in the water and it comes out on land only for breeding and rare rest.
The front flippers are adapted for rowing, a kind of oars, and the rear ones act as a rudder. The flippers are equipped with membranes between the fingers, and there are claws on the fingers. The seal is an excellent swimmer and can dive to depths of up to 500 meters, but this is often not necessary. The seal feeds on fish, small squid and cuttlefish, various mollusks. The seal is a pronounced predator; plant food is completely absent in its diet.
The next representative of the seal, the main types Baikal seal, Caspian and Kolchataya. As we understand from the name, some come from the habitat, and the ringed seal has such a name because of the rings on the skin. Nerpa is not the best major representative seal squad, average length it is about 160 cm, and the weight reaches 130 kg. The females of the seal, like all representatives of true seals, have a few larger than males. The seal feeds mainly on fish, while it has enough high speed swimming, which makes it easy to chase and catch up with their prey.
The seal is also an excellent diver, for example, the Baikal seal can dive to a depth of up to 400 meters and at the same time be under water for 25-30 minutes. The ringed seal, in addition to the seas of the Arctic Ocean, also lives in the Baltic Sea. For the winter, the seal makes a nest on the ice in the snow, from which a manhole leads into the water, or as they are also called air. The main vent of the seal makes about 40-50 cm in diameter, and around the main one, at a distance of up to 200 meters, the seal builds additional vents of a smaller diameter.
The seal acquires the ability to construct airways in the ice from birth. With their claws, the seal scratches holes in the ice from below, which are shaped like an inverted funnel. The seal can also sleep under water, while its vital cycles are suspended, and the oxygen supply can last for several hours. During the breeding season, the female gives birth to one, less often two puppies, which have white fluffy and very dense fur. little cub the seal does not climb into the water, but sits in its shelter, waiting for the mother to return from the hunt and feed him with her fat and nutritious milk.
And finally, one more representative, an eared seal. This order includes the northern fur seal, South American, New Zealand, Galapagos, subtropical fur seals, etc. Also here are the sea lion, sea lion. As we understand, the eared seal is distinguished by the presence of pronounced auricles, which is completely absent in real seals. The fur seal is much larger than real seals, the average size is up to 2.5 meters in length, and the fur seal can weigh up to 400 kg.
Northern fur seal lives in the waters northern seas, most he spends time in the water and only occasionally goes to land or an ice floe for rest, as well as during the breeding season. The male fur seal is much larger than the female, sometimes 3-4 times, while they have very interesting relationship in mating season. The male fur seal is the first to swim to the place of lairage and the largest and strongest individuals occupy convenient places. At the same time, quite fierce and bloody battles for territory take place.
When the fur seal finishes carving out the territory, females swim up, they choose places on the haulouts occupied by males, while the most prestigious sites are in the middle of the haulout, and weaker males get the haulouts at the edges or nothing at all. In this case, the fur seal is forced to wait until next year, in the hope that during this time he will get stronger and be able to win back his territory for breeding next time.
Having sailed to the bed and having chosen a territory for childbirth and subsequent new conception, which occurs 10-12 days after childbirth, the females form a kind of harem around the male. An interesting detail, the male fur seal often encroaches on the harem of his neighbor, having improved the moment, the fur seal grabs someone else's female by the collar and drags her to his territory. Usually this event becomes noticeable to the owner of the harem and the fur seal rushes to win back a member of his family, he grabs the female with his teeth and a kind of tug begins. And given the fact that the male fur seal is several times larger than the female, this division often leads to bloody consequences for the female, and sometimes to death.
The female fur seal feeds her cub with milk for an average of 3-4 months, after which he begins to feed on small fish on his own. At the same time, periodically the female goes to the sea to feed, and the small fur seal remains on the shore alone. The fur seal feeds on fish and small cephalopods, squid, cuttlefish. Like all representatives of seals, the fur seal is an excellent swimmer and dives deep enough in search of prey.
seal photo seal seal pictures seal cool seal seal photo seal seal pictures seal funny seal funny seal seal funny seal