Seals are fascinating, semiaquatic, marine mammals.
They are marvelous to look at while they are performing their acrobats in the ocean. A seal easily races through the water at 35 kilometers per hour, and they are lucky if they can cover 2 kilometers per hour on land.
With their round and expressive eyes, seals see very well underwater. Once they are on land, however, they have poor visibility. Seals love to bask in the sun on a sandbar.
Seals have four flippers, so they are in a category of animals known as pinnipedia, which means fin-footed. The pinnipeds group contains three families: phocidae, the earless or true seal (e.g. Common seal); otoriidae, eared seals (e.g. fur seals and sea lions) and odobenidae (walrus.)
It is believed that seals have evolved from land based, bear or otter-like ancestors. There are around 33 species of seals. They are found in most waters of the world, mainly in the Arctic and Antarctica but also in some areas of the tropics.
Seals have a layer of fat under skin called blubber, which keeps them warm in cold water. Their slick fur coat is streamlined for gliding through water. Their whiskers, as illustrated, help them to detect prey in dark murky waters.
Seals live on average for 25 to 30 years. Females usually live longer than males. Seals range in size from about 1 meter (3 feet, 3 inches) and 45 kilograms (100 pounds.) Many fishermen don’t like seals because they believe the whiskered predators are clever thieves. Seals are carnivores and steal fish off lines and out of gillnets and even break into lobster pots to dine on tasty crustaceans. Seals mainly eat fish, though some also eat squid, other mollusks and crustaceans.
An increase in the seal population on Cape Cod is bringing white sharks closer to the beaches frequented by people. Great White sharks and seals have a predator-prey relationship where the shark is the predator and the seal is the prey.
I used to love going out on my son-in-law’s boat on a lovely summer’s day on the New Bedford Harbor to observe these curious yet shy animals diving and frolicking in the water.
I hope you get the opportunity to see the amazing seals this summer!
By George Emmons
