Program "I love Psychology 

The smallest seal. Characteristic features of seals. northern elephant seal

Seals - marine mammals animals of two families: sea lions (eared seals) and real seals. Today, 33 species of seals are distinguished in the world: Harp seal, Striped seal (lionfish), Ringed seal (akiba), Spotted seal (larga), sea ​​hare(beared seal), White-bellied seal, Baikal seal, Caspian seal, Monk seal and others. The length of some seals, for example sea ​​elephants, can reach 4 meters, and weigh up to 3.5 tons!

Of course, on land, seals look awkward, sometimes even helpless. For movement, they use the front paws (fins) and the body, while the hind limbs are not used on the shore. But under water, seals are excellent swimmers. The traditional habitats of these animals are the coastal zones of the northern and southern latitudes.

Interesting features of seals

  1. Of all the sense organs, seals have the most developed sense of smell. These animals can smell at a distance of up to 500 meters. But their eyesight is very poor.
  2. Interestingly, most species of seals do not have external sexual differences, that is, males and females look the same, and the genitals are hidden in fat folds.
  3. In the water, seals navigate with the help of whiskers (vibrissae) and echolocation (some species of seals). It should be noted that echolocation in these animals is not as highly developed as in dolphins and whales.
  4. Seals are very trainable, and this interesting feature of seals is used in circuses all over the world. In addition, they, along with dolphins, have been serving in the Russian and US Navy for 100 years to search for underwater mines. The famous trainer Vladimir Durov was the first to teach seals to look for mines back in 1915. They trained 20 animals, but unfortunately they were poisoned, presumably by German spies.
  5. The seal can withstand frost up to - 80 degrees. C. Fur and a fairly thick layer help keep him warm. subcutaneous fat.
  6. Of particular danger to seals are polar bears, killer whales, sharks, and people - poachers. Interestingly, in the Arctic latitudes, seals are afraid to sleep on ice so as not to become prey. polar bear so they sleep in the water.
    Seals sleep by floating vertically near the surface of the water, rising to inhale through their nostrils. But in the water, they often fall prey to the Greenland polar shark, which, unlike the seal, swims very slowly, so it can only attack a sleeping seal. For this reason, both in water and on ice, seals sleep very sensitively, periodically wake up and look around.
  7. For the first three weeks after the birth of a baby seal, the mother feeds him with milk, but she does not eat anything herself. A baby seal (belok) is an object of fur trade. Belki, unlike adult seals, have especially high-quality and thick fur, which is used in the fashion industry. The hunt for the seal is disgustingly simple - the cubs are simply beaten with sticks in front of the helpless mother.

    Baby seal.

  8. Not all seals are harmless and helpless. So one of the types of real seals - the Sea leopard, which has a spotted color, is dangerous predator. It is the only member of the seal family that can prey on warm-blooded animals such as penguins and young seals.
    On July 22, 2003, a female scientist from the UK, Kirsty Margo Brown, became a victim of a Sea Leopard. As part of the Antarctic expedition, a woman made another dive into the ocean, and at that moment she was attacked by a Sea leopard. The seal did not allow her to swim out and she suffocated.

    Leopard seal caught a penguin


  9. Most seals feed on fish, mollusks and crustaceans. At the same time, they do not chew food, but swallow it whole or tear it into pieces.
  10. In the stomachs of seals, pebbles and even fist-sized stones are often found. There are several explanations for this interesting feature seals. So, some scientists believe that in this way the seals load themselves with ballast in order to sink to the bottom faster. Another version suggests that the stones are needed to improve digestion. For example, in some crocodiles, stones in the stomach grind food. Seals, in this way, can grind the shells and shells of mollusks and crustaceans in the stomach.
    Often seals swallow pebbles when they have not eaten for a long time, for example, during the molting period. Perhaps, in this way, they save the stomach from atrophy, that is, make it work.
    In some cases, up to 11 kilograms of stones were found in the stomach of a seal.
  11. The milk of a female seal is the fattest of all mammals - over 50 percent fat, it is 12 times fatter than cow's milk and is somewhat reminiscent of mayonnaise. The milk of a female seal is so nutritious that pups gain weight right before our eyes. On the day they gain weight from one and a half to 3 kilograms, and for the entire time of feeding they increase their weight by 3-5 times. Different kinds seals nurse their pups for 3 to 6 weeks and then leave them forever. For some time, the whitefish lives on fat reserves, and then he begins to swim and hunt.
  12. The pulse rate of a seal is 55-120 beats per minute, that is, it roughly corresponds to a human heartbeat, but under water the pulse slows down to 20-50 beats per minute. Some species of seals can stay under water for up to 2 hours, as they have an increased concentration of hemoglobin and myoglobin in the blood, which are involved in the storage of oxygen.
  13. Seals spend most of their lives in the water, but they mate, give birth to cubs and take care of them always on the shore.
  14. The life expectancy of seals reaches 35 years, and females, as a rule, live longer than males.

Animal seal found in the seas that flow into the Arctic Ocean, keeps mainly near the coast, but, most spends time in the water.

It is customary to call seals representatives of groups of eared and true seals. In both cases, the limbs of the animals end in flippers with well-developed large claws. The size of a mammal depends on its belonging to a particular species and subspecies. On average, the length of the body varies from 1 to 6 m, weight - from 100 kg to 3.5 tons.

The elongated body resembles a spindle in shape, the head is small narrowed in front, a thick, motionless neck, the animal has 26-36 teeth.

There are no auricles - instead of them, valves are located on the head that protect the ears from water ingress, the same valves are in the nostrils of mammals. On the muzzle in the nose area there are long mobile whiskers - tactile vibrissae.

When moving on land, the hind flippers are stretched back, they are inflexible and cannot serve as a support. The mass of subcutaneous fat of an adult animal can be 25% of total mass body.

Depending on the species, the density of the hairline also differs, so, maritime elephants – seals, which practically do not have it, while other species boast coarse fur.

The color also varies from reddish-brown to gray seal, from plain to striped and spotted seal. An interesting fact is that seals can cry, although they do not have lacrimal glands. Some species have a small tail, which plays no role in moving both on land and in water.

The nature and lifestyle of the seal

Seal on the a photo seems to be a clumsy and slow animal, but such an impression can only be formed if it is on land, where movement consists in ridiculous movements of the body from side to side.

spotted seal

If necessary, in water, a mammal can reach speeds of up to 25 km / h. In terms of diving, representatives of some species are also champions - diving depth can be up to 600 m.

In addition, it can stay under water for about 10 minutes without an influx of oxygen, this is due to the fact that there is an air bag on the side under the skin, with which the animal stores oxygen.

Swimming in search of food under huge ice floes, seals deftly find leads in them in order to replenish this stock. In this situation the seal makes a sound, similar to clicking, which is considered to be a kind of echolocation.

Under water, the seal can make other sounds. For example, sea, inflating the nasal sac, produces a sound similar to the roar of an ordinary land elephant. This helps him drive away rivals and enemies.

Representatives of all types of seals spend most of their lives at sea. On land, they are selected only during molting and for reproduction.

It is surprising that animals even sleep in the water, moreover, they can do it in two ways: by turning over on their back, the seal stays on the surface thanks to a thick layer of fat and slow movements of the fins, or, falling asleep, the animal plunges shallowly under the water (a couple of meters), after which it emerges, takes a few breaths and sinks again, repeating these movements throughout the entire period of sleep.

Despite a certain degree of mobility, in both these cases the animal is sound asleep. Newborn individuals spend only the first 2-3 weeks on land, then, still not really able to swim, they descend into the water to start an independent life.

The seal can sleep in the water, turning over on its back

An adult has three spots on the sides, the layer of fat on which is much less than on the rest of the body. With the help of these places, the seal escapes from overheating, giving off excess heat through them.

Young individuals do not yet have this ability. They give off heat with their whole body, therefore, when a young seal lies on the ice for a long time without moving, a large puddle forms under it.

Sometimes it can even lead to lethal outcome, since when the ice melts deep under the seal, then he cannot get out of there. In this case, even the mother of the baby can not help him. Baikal seals live in closed water bodies, which is not characteristic of any other species.

Seals feeding

The main food for the seal family is fish. The beast has no definite preferences - what kind of fish he meets during the hunt, he will catch that one.

Of course, to maintain such a huge mass, the animal needs to hunt big fish especially if it occurs in in large numbers. In periods when fish schools do not come close to the banks in the size necessary for the seal, the animal can pursue prey, rising up the rivers.

So, relative of the spotted seal at the beginning of summer it feeds on fish descending into the sea along the tributaries of the rivers, then it switches to capelin, which comes to the coast to spawn. Salmon are the next victim every year.

That is, in warm period the animal eats plenty of fish, which itself tends to the shore for one reason or another, things are more complicated in the cold season.

Seal relatives need to move away from the coast, keeping close to drifting ice floes and eating pollock, mollusks and. Of course, if any other fish appears in the way of a seal during a hunt, it will not swim past.

Reproduction and life span of a seal

Regardless of the species, seals have offspring only once a year. As a rule, this happens at the end of summer. Mammals gather in huge seal rookeries on the icy surface (the mainland or, more often, a large drifting ice floe).

Each such rookery can number several thousand individuals. Most couples are monogamous, however, sea ​​Elephant(one of the largest seals) is a representative of polygamous relationships.

Mating takes place in January, after which the mother bears 9 - 11 months baby seals. A baby immediately after birth can weigh 20 or even 30 kg with a body length of 1 meter.

baby eared seal

First, the mother feeds the baby with milk, each female has 1 or 2 pairs of nipples. Due to breastfeeding, seal pups gain weight very quickly - every day they can become heavier by 4 kg. The fur of babies is very soft and most often white, however white seal acquires its permanent future color in 2-3 weeks.

As soon as the period of feeding with milk passes, that is, after a month after birth (depending on the species, from 5 to 30 days), the babies descend into the water and then take care of food themselves. However, at first they only learn to hunt, so they live from hand to mouth, keeping only on the fat reserve obtained from their mother's milk.

breastfeeding mothers different types behave differently. So, eared mostly keep close to the rookery, and females harp seals, like most other species, move away from the coast for a considerable distance in search of large clusters fish.

A young female is ready to procreate at the age of 3 years, males reach sexual maturity only by 6 years. The lifespan of a healthy individual depends on the species and sex. On average, females can reach the age of 35 years, males - 25.


Common seal (lat. Phoca vitulina) is a born inhabitant of cold seas. Its entire body is covered with thick coarse fur that protects its owner from wind and icy cold, and under the skin there is a thick layer of fat, so necessary for animals to withstand winter weather.

True, the degree of fatness of an ordinary seal is strongly influenced by the season: its weight, depending on the season, varies from 50 to 150 kg. The body length of adults can reach 180 cm, while males differ little from females in their dimensions. But all animals have their own individual pattern on the body, and their colors can vary significantly.

Most often in the color there are brown, red and gray tones. Small black and brown spots are scattered throughout the body, the shape of which resembles oblong strokes. Interestingly, females have the most of them on their back, while their belly and head are lighter. But the males have a thick pattern not only on the back, but also on the head and flippers.

The harbor seal has an egg-shaped head with a short muzzle. He has large expressive dark brown eyes. When the seal raises its head from the ground and looks at the observer with its attentive gaze, it seems that an incredible mind and a complete understanding of what is happening shines in it. The nostrils of these representatives of the true seal family are V-shaped, which distinguishes them from other species.

They have strong jaws with strong teeth and large fangs. With their help, the seal hunts small octopuses, crabs and fish. And he eats everyone in a row, not particularly understanding the varieties. marine life who get in his way. Whether it’s a delicacy or some weedy fish, he doesn’t care at all.

live harbor seals in the northern coastal regions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. At the same time, the area of ​​​​their distribution is highly fragmented and is divided into two main parts: the Pacific and the Atlantic.

Seals that prefer Pacific Ocean, settle directly on its open shores, as well as in the Bering, Okhotsk and Japan seas. In the Atlantic region, seals choose southern shores Greenland, eastern part North America, as well as the coast of Scandinavia and Iceland.

Interestingly, seals from the Atlantic region do not like ice very much, and they like to spend all their free time from feeding on high rocky areas of land, where they are not afraid of any predators. But their Pacific counterparts, at the first opportunity, leave the coast and move to drifting ice, where they spend the winter.

Both varieties of harbor seals are ignored open waters and try to stay in coastal areas. Their dislike is easy to explain - they are walking around somewhere nearby, from which it is not so easy to escape. Unless you quickly jump ashore, and for this you need to be nearby.

Once a year, females give birth to one cub. It is curious that the Pacific individuals like to do this on ice floes, and the Atlantic ones - on the shallows that form during low tides. In the latter, the embryonic fur cover disappears even in the womb, and a few hours after birth, they are already swimming with might and main. Pacific babies are born with white fur that protects them from the cold for 3-4 weeks while they feed on their mother's milk.

Females become sexually mature at the age of 3-4 years, males - a year or two later. Ordinary seals live for about 35-40 years, if, of course, they manage to avoid meeting with predators.

seals - less mobile and graceful creatures, on the shore they resemble large leather bags, slowly and clumsily crawl from place to place, releasing heavy sighs.
It is known that seals spend most of their time in the open sea, even during sleep they do not go out on land. But how do they sleep in the water? It turned out that there are two ways. In the first case, the animal is simply on the surface of the water, flippers spread out, and only occasionally raises its head to take a deep breath. It stays on the water due to the thick layer of subcutaneous fat and the lazy movement of flippers. The second way is more interesting: after falling asleep, the animal slowly sinks to a depth of several meters, after which it begins to emerge and, once on the surface of the water, takes a few breaths, after which everything is repeated from the very beginning. The most amazing thing is that all this time the seal sleeps sweetly and does not open its eyes for a minute.

True seals include seals, harp seals, bearded seals, sea lions and many others. All these animals have some interesting adaptations that help them survive in harsh conditions. northern waters. The crabeater seal has the most unusual teeth, which at first glance look like a comb. The thing is, he eats. small crustaceans, which he collects with the help of his amazing, dental "combs". Putting more in your mouth sea ​​water, the seal closes its mouth and begins to filter it through the cracks in the crab teeth, and small fish and crustaceans remain inside.
The hooded seal has a very strange thing on its nose - a huge red bubble, which it is able to inflate to an incredible size. Females also have nasal bladders, although much less. What this incomprehensible “structure” is intended for is still not clear. There is an opinion that a brightly inflated bag plays some role in the courtship process and attracts females. It is possible that the size and colorfulness of the bubble help the male to gain the upper hand over his rivals.
In addition to hooded seals, elephant seals have the ability to inflate their nose. Of course, it does not reach such dimensions as in the hooded coat, but on the other hand, the swollen trunk of an elephant gives out a low whistling roar, which should frighten all enemies and rivals. live sea ​​giants off the coast of California and South America, with the onset of spring emerge to the north.
Elephants have another inherent feature: like all marine mammals, they are dressed in a warm fur coat made of a thick layer of fat (up to 10 cm), but in this attire there are peculiar "windows" - vents. On the sides of the elephant there are three such formations on each side, under them the skin of the beast heats up to very high temperature, and, drying up, they look like golden spots on the still damp gray skin. With their help, elephant seals regulate body temperature and, in hot sunny weather, escape from overheating.
In young elephant seals, this mechanism necessary for life in ice does not yet work; they give off heat with their whole body. Sometimes the ice under them is so hot that it begins to melt and the unfortunate animal plunges into the ice "pit". It often happens that seals that have been lying in one place for a long time fall into a trap from which they can no longer get out. The mother is also unable to help her cub. Hundreds of seals die every year in ice captivity.
Another representative of real seals is the sea leopard, which received such a formidable name for a reason, because the predatory nature of the beast is in no way inferior to the aggressive nature of its land namesake. sea ​​animal an insidious and ruthless hunter, he grabs and literally tears apart penguins, loons, skuas and other birds, do not escape from him and more small seals . His teeth are not very large, but sharp and strong, and his character is such that he is not even afraid of a person. Like an ordinary leopard, the sea leopard has spotted skin - black spots are randomly scattered on a dark gray background.

In addition to all those already listed, there are several more seals: completely unique creatures live on the Caspian Sea and in Lake Baikal - the Caspian and Baikal seal. Its exclusivity lies in the fact that they live in completely closed reservoirs, in which they seem to have nowhere to take.
There is also a spotted seal, a spotted seal living in the northern waters of Europe, America and Asia. The lionfish, whose skin is decorated with thin white rings, has chosen the spaces of the Bering and Chukchi seas. Lakhtak, or sea hare, swims in the coldest seas, already quite near the pole.
Harp seals-lysun hunt all summer for fish, squid and crustaceans far in the north of the Atlantic and North arctic oceans, in the very ice - in the east swim in the Kara Sea. In autumn they gather in small flocks and swim south. In December, already thousands of them swarm and crawl on the ice of the White Sea.

At the end of winter, fluffy, white (with a slightly yellowish tint) cubs are born to seals, hunters usually call them whites. Within a month, the mother feeds them with her milk, then gradually begins to teach them how to fish. And in May, all of them, both small and large, sail north, to the Arctic Ocean.
AT polar ice Svalbard, they will meet with their brothers, wintering near the island of Jan Mayen. So that everyone has enough space and fish, harp seals divided winter quarters among themselves. Some winter near the island of Newfoundland, others - on Jan Mayen, and the third had a taste floating ice in the White Sea. In addition to these three rookeries, harp seals are not found anywhere in winter.

Family True seals(Phocidae) unites 19 species of animals, whose life is connected with water much more than other pinnipeds. They differ from eared seals in the absence of auricles (for which they are often also called earless seals) and the fact that their hind flippers do not bend at the heel joint and do not participate in the movement of animals on land.

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real seals they simply push off the ground or ice with their front fins. Excellent swimmers and divers. In the water they move due to the wave-like movements of the back of the body and hind flippers. Physiology allows them to dive deep for food and stay under water for a long time. While diving, the heart rate drops, but the level blood pressure it does not decrease. This is achieved due to the fact that at depth the blood flow to the heart and seal's brain is reduced, and the oxygen contained in it is spent on the work of muscles and other organs that help the animal to obtain food. The body of the real The seal is shaped like a torpedo and is protected from the cold by a thick layer of subcutaneous fat. The head, body and flippers are covered with short hair. Seals molt once a year.
In some species, males are larger and heavier than females, in others the opposite is true. Mostly herd polygamous animals. Most species are characterized by a latent phase of pregnancy, a delay in the development of the embryo after mating. Due to this, the timing of childbearing and mating is synchronized and timed to a relatively short period life on dry land.

gray seal

The male weighs up to 300 kg and of all true seals inferior in size only to the sea groan. Thick skin on the mighty shoulders of males forms numerous folds and wrinkles. They are sometimes 2 times heavier than females, have a wider, massive muzzle and a more convex, rounded forehead. After the breeding season, gray seals make long migrations, however, they stay mainly in coastal waters where they feed on fish, squid, octopus and crustaceans.
Within their range they breed in different dates, but females always go to the rookery earlier than males and have time to give birth to cubs before their appearance. Arriving males immediately acquire individual territories, while fights are usually not satisfied. Old, experienced animals occupy the most convenient parts of the coast, although in a few days they can settle in a new place. For about 3 weeks, the female feeds the cub with milk, and then mates with the male and leaves the rookery.

harp seal

It has a black or dark brown head and 2 symmetrical dark markings on the sides of the body. On the rest of the body, the fur is usually yellowish white or light gray. These excellent swimmers spend most of the year at sea, making regular migrations to the north and south. They can also move quickly on ice. The main food - fish and crustaceans are often mined at great depths.
They usually live in herds. Only old males keep alone. In late February and early March, females gather on wide ice floes and give birth to 1 cub. For about a month they feed seal pups fat nutritious milk, and then swim away to the sea to feed. 2-3 weeks after giving birth, the females mate with the males that appeared on the ice floes. Caring for girlfriends, males constantly start fights among themselves, using their teeth and flippers. At the end of spring, the whole herd begins to migrate north to the summer feeding grounds.

Harbor seal (largae)

The coloration varies greatly: the main color of the fur can be light or creamy gray, and the spots scattered over it can be gray, brown or even black. Males a little larger than females. These seals do not make long migrations and often choose to rest on rocky shores or reefs protruding from the water. In pursuit of spawning salmon, they sometimes swim into rivers and fresh lakes. The main food for seals- fish, squids and crustaceans - sometimes they are caught at great depths, remaining during the hunt under water for up to 30 minutes, although usually no more than 4-5 minutes.
They groom and mate underwater. Females give birth to cubs on ice floes and feed them with nutritious milk for 4-6 weeks. Babies are born well developed: immediately after birth they begin to swim, and after 2-3 days they can stay under water for 2 minutes. When pup stops drinking milk, the female leaves it and mates with the male to give birth to a new baby in a year.

crabeater seal

Perhaps today crabeater seals are the most numerous representatives of the order of pinnipeds. They live in the desert waters of the Antarctic, where, apart from killer whales, they have almost no enemies. They are able to quickly move on the ice, alternately pushing off with their front flippers and the back of the body. The speed of movement reaches 25 km / h!
The main food is krill - small marine crustaceans, which are filtered out of the water by poles using a kind of sieve formed by deeply cut edges of the teeth.
Females give birth to cubs and mate with males from October to the end of December. The pups are born well developed, so the females feed them with milk for only 2-3 weeks.

Sea hare (beared seal)

On the sides of the muzzle, this representative of pinnipeds has thick, very long and thick mustaches (vibrissae). The bearded seal is a large, heavily built seal with greyish-brown fur. Females are slightly larger than males. Their food - crustaceans, molluscs and fish - animals get mainly at the bottom, so they live in shallow coastal waters, making short migrations in search of food.
In the spring they gather on floating ice floes and start breeding. Females reach puberty at 6 years of age and each year bring 1 cub, which they bear for 10-11 months. seals begin to swim immediately after birth. Females feed them with milk for 12-18 days, managing to mate with males during this time.

Sea leopard

Its long slender body perfectly adapted for spearfishing for fast-swimming animals - penguins and seals. wide mouth with sharp teeth helps to grab and hold victims. Penguins are caught both in the water and on ice floes. Before eating a caught bird, he deftly skins it with his teeth. Occasionally eats fish, squid and crustaceans.
Information about reproduction sea ​​leopards very scarce. It is only known that these seals mate from January to March.


monk seal

monk seals are very rare. Previously deserted rocky beaches and islands, where these shy animals breed, today attract scuba divers, lovers of spearfishing and noisy boat trips. Often seals entangled in fishing nets. Females with cubs and pregnant females especially suffer from restless neighborhood: due to severe fright or constant stress, they lose milk or miscarriages occur. Cubs are born from May to November, but most are born in September-October. Females feed them with milk for about 6 weeks.

Weddell seal

It is distinguished by a disproportionately small head, a cute short muzzle and an extraordinary credulity towards a person. Females are slightly longer than males. This beast is champion among all seals in diving depth. The maximum recorded diving depth was 600 m, and the duration of stay under water was 73 minutes! Usually seals hunt at a depth of 300-400m. cod fish. When diving to such a considerable depth, the heart rate decreases in seal 4 times.
AT regular time live alone for years. Young animals are sometimes kept in groups. In the spring, during the breeding season, males apparently acquire individual underwater areas where females can swim freely. Females form small clusters on floating ice floes and give birth to 1 cub. For about 12 days they stay close to the kids, and then spend half the time at sea for feeding. At 6 weeks, the seals stop feeding on milk, and a week later they are already swimming with might and main and can dive to a depth of up to 90 m. breast-feeding the females mate with the males.

Khokhlach

He spends most of his life on the open sea, catching fish and squid at a considerable depth. In summer, hooded seals gather on the ice floes drifting in the Danish Strait between Greenland and Iceland and molt. After molting, they spread across the seas to meet again next spring in another place - near the island of Newfoundland. Here, on floating ice floes, females give birth in March to 1 cub, which they feed with milk for 7-12 days. All this time, next to the ice floe that sheltered the female with the baby, the male swims and drives away rivals. Periodically, he crawls out onto the ice floe and emits a roar, the volume of which is enhanced by an expandable leathery bag on the nose. If another male appears on the ice floe, a fight breaks out between the rivals. Approximately 2 weeks after giving birth, the female mates with her cavalier.

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