Species of harbor seals. Characteristics of seals

Seals are common in all northern seas. This carnivorous mammals from the group of pinnipeds. Two subspecies (European and island) are listed in the Red Book. Coastal waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, Northern and Baltic seas also inhabited by seals.

Description of animals

The weight and length of the animal can vary greatly - from ninety-five kilograms to three tons, from one and a half to six meters. The smallest species is the ringed seal, the largest is the elephant seal. Typically the color of the animal is brown, gray or reddish. IN natural conditions females live up to thirty-five years, and males - up to twenty. The body of the animal is spindle-shaped, the head is small, tapering in front. A short and inactive neck, no ears. Well defined but short tail. The front flippers are quite short (less than twenty-five percent of the total body length). They are much shorter than the rear ones.

Reproduction and feeding

During the mating season, seals stay in pairs. The birth of the calf usually occurs on the ice. One puppy is born. He is born sighted and fully physically formed. Most often, females try to hide their cubs in snow holes. Feeding with milk stops when the cub is not yet able to obtain food for itself, so from two to twelve weeks the animals starve, surviving only on accumulated fat.

Baby seal: what is it called?

These are perhaps the most charming representatives of the animal world - a large head and large, wide-open eyes. In addition, these babies have snow-white fur covering their entire body. Since ancient times, the Pomors called an adult male seal bald, a female seal - utelga, and their cubs were called differently, depending on age - whites, greens, serks, khokhlushkas. All these names are correct and relevant today. IN scientific literature little seal most often called a puppy. And such a baby is also called a baby seal.

Baby Seal: Birth

IN summer months seals live in the Far North. Late autumn they begin to move south. For breeding, they choose large and durable ice floes, on which “nursery breeding grounds” are created, which can stretch for tens of kilometers. The number of animals in such “colonies” numbers tens of thousands of individuals. Seal pregnancy lasts eleven and a half months. I must say that ice is a reliable antiseptic: very low temperatures do not allow microbes to develop. The birth of babies occurs from January to April. The bulk of the cubs appear from the twentieth of February to the fifth of March.

green seal

A newborn seal calf received its name (or rather, one of them) due to the color of its fur coat. The puppy's body is covered with thick, long hair. white with a greenish tint. This is where the name “greenback” comes from. At birth, it weighs 8-10 kilograms and reaches a length of 92 centimeters.

White seal

The greenish tint does not last long. By the way, it is formed under the influence of amniotic fluid in the womb. After five days, it disappears completely, and the baby seal, the photo of which you see in this article, turns into the most charming creature of absolutely white color. At this time he is very dependent on his mother. A female seal feeds her pup every four to five hours. Her milk is very fatty (up to fifty percent fat). Thanks to this, the baby gains up to three kilograms of weight every day. During this period, the seal pup is very defenseless. What is it called at this time? Of course, Belek.

Features of a baby seal

The squirrel's huge eyes are constantly watering, so it seems that the animal is crying. But this is a natural process for moisturizing the eyes. Belek, the baby seal, is constantly trembling. This is explained by the regulation of heat in his body. He has not yet formed a fat layer, like an adult animal. The squirrel's fur consists of transparent, hollow hairs that are highly permeable. sunlight on black skin, thereby warming it.

Existing misconceptions

For a long time, researchers of these animals believed that the female, who needs to leave from time to time in search of food for herself, finds the squirrel by its voice. This is wrong. A seal pup has a unique scent that helps its mother find it.

It was believed that a baby seal (whose name is Belek), which was once stroked by a person, would forever remain an “orphan.” The female will no longer approach him. This is not true. If you happen to visit the North Pole, you can pet these charming animals as much as you like, but you must do this with gloves, as they react very negatively to a human hand that is too “hot” for them.

And one more piece of advice. When petting the baby and playing with it, do not block it from the mother - having lost sight of the baby, she may rush to attack.

Khokhlusha seal

In the third week of life, the squirrel begins to molt. Under its luxurious white fur, a silvery skin becomes noticeable. For a week, such a baby seal is called a Khokhlusha.

Serka - baby seal

When the baby seal is one month old, the animal's fur changes again. It turns into the usual hard and short hair coat for these mammals. The fur is gray in color, darker on the back. There are dark, almost black spots. During this period, the seal pup is called a serka.

Enemy of the seals

The most terrible and merciless enemy of seals is polar bear. At the end of a harsh and hungry winter, a seal pup is an excellent prey for him. The female usually does not protect the squirrel - what can she oppose to a hungry and angry predator in his native element? If there is a ceiling of more than a meter above the snow hole, then it is difficult for the bear to find shelter, but if the hole is found, then the squirrel is doomed to death.

Seal hunt

Until two thousand and nine, our country was the only one in the world where it was allowed to hunt squirrels. Moreover, Russia is also the main importer of seal fur products. Usually this is the fur of older individuals - serks.

Animal protection

The very first organization to defend the squirrels was International Fund IFAW. It is to protect these charming animals with valuable fur that this organization was created. The foundation extends its work to Canada and Russia. Many people joined his work famous people planets. in 1977 she organized a demonstration at the Norwegian embassy. Then the President of France banned the import of squirrel fur products into the country. Therefore, it is rightly believed that France is the first country to introduce special prohibitory measures aimed at protecting these animals. Paul McCartney later joined the defense. He flew to Canada to slaughter sites and held several charity events.

In Russia, such work began in 2008 thanks to the efforts of the public. Many famous people of our country turned to the president of the country. Andrei Makarevich, Laima Vaikule, Mikhail Shirvindt and other actors, as well as scientists, artists, and journalists supported the protest against the destruction of the pups.

In February 2009, our country introduced a complete (temporary) ban on the capture of seal pups of all age groups. Vladimir Putin (Prime Minister at the time) was applauded by animal activists around the world. It was he who achieved this ban.

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

True, the degree of fatness of a common seal is greatly influenced by the time of year: its weight, depending on the season, varies from 50 to 150 kg. The body length of adult individuals can reach 180 cm, while males are not much different in size from females. But all animals have their own individual pattern on the body, and their colors can vary significantly.

Most often, the color contains 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 backs, while their bellies and heads are lighter in color. But males have a dense pattern not only on the back, but also on the head and flippers.

The harbor seal has an egg-shaped head with a short snout. He has large, expressive dark brown eyes. When a seal raises its head from the ground and looks at the observer with its attentive gaze, it seems that incredible intelligence and complete understanding of what is happening are shining within it. The nostrils of these representatives of the family of true seals 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. Moreover, he eats everyone, without particularly understanding the varieties sea ​​creatures that come his way. Whether it’s a delicacy or some trash fish, he doesn’t care at all.

Common seals live in the northern coastal regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. At the same time, the area of ​​their distribution is strongly separated and is divided into two main parts: the Pacific and the Atlantic.

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

It is interesting that seals from the Atlantic region do not like ice too 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 leave the shore at the first opportunity and move to drifting ice, where they spend the winter.

Both species of harbor seals ignore open waters and try to stay in coastal areas. Their hostility is easy to explain - somewhere nearby they are walking around, 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 baby. It is curious that Pacific individuals like to do this on ice floes, and Atlantic ones - on shallows that form during low tides. In the latter, the embryonic fur disappears even in the womb, and a few hours after birth they are already swimming with all their might. Pacific babies are born with white fur, which 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. Common seals live for about 35-40 years, if, of course, they manage to avoid encounters with predators.

A large mustachioed muzzle with expressive eyes, a smooth body, a strong tail and paws - who doesn’t know a seal, who hasn’t seen it at least in a picture or on TV! They are often confused with walruses, but they are completely different animals. What are their features and how many types of seals are there?

Who is a seal

Seals belong to the class of mammals that live mainly in the Arctic region. These are animals with flippers instead of limbs; it is for this reason that seals (like their relatives, walruses) were previously called pinnipeds. Nowadays this name is not used, being considered obsolete.

Among seals, there are two families - true and eared seals.

Walrus and seal

Many people confuse walruses and seals. It is worth clarifying the difference between these animals. So, firstly, there are many types of seals, but there is only one walrus. It is larger than a seal in size and weight - at least twice as large. The walrus has large fangs - in other words, tusks, with the help of which these animals get food, fight and simply survive. The seal does not have these.

Walruses do not have ears (this is how the rhyme came about), but eared seals (you can guess this from their name) have auricles. The whiskers of walruses are thick and wide, while those of seals are thin and narrow. The first ones have almost none hairline, the latter have it.

Walruses are peaceful towards each other and always stay in groups. There are skirmishes between seals (for example, over territory during the mating season); they often prefer isolation. At the same time, seals are more “talkative”; you can always hear some sounds from them. Walruses are silent people.

Earless and eared: what is the difference

As mentioned above, previously seals were called pinnipeds, but not now: according to some researchers, true and eared seals different origins. This is their main difference.

The former are the closest relatives of mustelids. That is why they have such an elongated body, like a spindle, which is comfortable to control in water, and short (in relation to the body) limbs. These seals were in the water for the first time in the North Atlantic Ocean. But their eared brothers (like walruses) originated from... bears! A small head, brownish fur color, tiny ears - all this indicates that it belongs to the bear family. They came off land in the Pacific Ocean.

Among other things, these types of seals differ in their flippers. Long-eared ones are able to step on their hind limbs and walk on the ground with them, but real ones are deprived of this ability: when they move on land, the flippers simply drag behind them. But these animals actively use their hind flippers in the water, swimming with their help. For their eared counterparts, the forelimbs are the means of swimming, and they use the hind limbs as a kind of “rudder”. Another difference between these seals and each other is that real ones do not have ears (for this feature they are sometimes called earless).

Origin of Species: A Controversial Issue

The version of the different origins of seals has its opponents. Thus, some scientists argue that pinnipeds appeared approximately fifty million years ago, when neither the mustelidae family nor the bear family existed. Such researchers are inclined to assume that both true and eared seals nevertheless descended from a common ancestor, belong to the family of pinnipeds and are included in the suborder of dog-like arctoid predators, which, in addition to them, also included raccoons, canines, mustelids and bears.

Real seal: features

In addition to the already mentioned characteristics of the appearance of a real seal, it must be said about the short neck and the same tail, the first being inactive. Vibrissae are usually up to ten pieces, they are quite hard. It is the whiskers that help seals navigate in the water: they do not rely on vision, but with the help of their whiskers they catch obstacles and successfully overcome them. The front flippers of these animals are even shorter than the hind ones and are located closer to the head. The size and weight of a real seal ranges from one and a half to six and a half meters and from ninety to three and a half thousand kilograms.

Some species of seals do not have hair, but it is usually rough, not fluffy, and comes in a variety of colors. Characteristic of seals seasonal molt. Babies are born with thick, often white and very soft fur, which is replaced after three weeks. Pregnancy in females lasts from two hundred seventy to three hundred and fifty days, and reproduction (as well as molting) occurs on ice. The peculiarity of real seals is that mothers stop feeding their young with milk quite early, and for several weeks the babies feed only on accumulated fat reserves (since they themselves are not yet able to provide themselves with food). In general, real seals eat fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. Some species even hunt penguins.

Representatives of the real seal

Below are the types of seals, names and photos of individual ones. There are 13 genera of earless seals:

These thirteen genera include, according to various sources, from eighteen to twenty-four various types. The most ancient is considered to be the Puyila, which lived in the Canadian Arctic.

Eared seal: features

Speaking about the appearance of eared seals, it should be noted, first of all, that females and males are easy to distinguish by size: males grow up to three and a half meters, females - only up to one. The weight of these species, compared to real seals, is quite small - from one hundred and fifty to one thousand kilograms. The color of the coat, as already mentioned, is brown, the hair itself is hard and coarse. The neck is long, the tail, on the contrary, is short. The hind limbs have claws, but the front ones do not. Moreover, they are quite large - a quarter of the entire body size of the animal.

Eared seals are quite active. They do not like ice, and prefer to molt and reproduce on the shore, but winter in the sea. Pregnancy of females is approximately the same in duration as that of real seals, but they feed their babies with milk longer - about four months. After this, the cub is able to take care of its own food. Eared seals, by the way, almost do not eat crustaceans - their diet mainly consists of fish, shellfish, and krill. Some species are capable of eating the young of other seals, penguins, and birds.

Species of eared seal

The list of species of seals of this type includes fourteen to fifteen (data vary) items, which are included in seven genera of two subfamilies. They are as follows (we will list a few):

1. Fur seals (northern, south American, subtropical, etc.).
2. Sea lions (steller sea lion, New Zealand, Galapagos and others).

Previously, there was another type of seal - Japanese sea ​​lion, however, it is now considered extinct, since seals and lions have been hunted globally since ancient times.

Habitat

True seals love cold and temperate waters. They are mainly found in subpolar latitudes, but the monk seal prefers “hotter” terrain - it is found in the tropics. In addition, among the real seals of all species in the world there are freshwater ones that live in Lake Ladoga, Lake Baikal and Finland.

As for the “eared animals,” they live exclusively in the Pacific Ocean - if we talk about the Northern Hemisphere. But in Yuzhny they can be found in the south South America, as well as Australia - in the Indian Ocean.

Types of seals in Russia

Of the real seals, the fauna of our country can boast of nine species (this does not include the endangered monk seal: there are only ten pairs of it in the Black Sea). Eared seals in Russia are represented by only two species: the northern fur seal and the sea lion (another name is the northern sea lion).

Of all the seals living in our country, only Baikal seal, spotted seal (largu), bearded seal and harp seal (all of them are real).

Protected species of seals

Many seals, unfortunately, exist on the verge of extinction. Therefore, they are listed in the Red Book and are specially protected animals. Among real seals there are two such species - monk seals and the Caspian seal. The first one is generally marked as endangered - there are no more than five hundred of them in the world today. As for their long-eared counterparts, the sea lion is rare today, the population of which is no more than seventy thousand.

Although eared and earless seals differ in many ways from each other, they also have similarities and features that are characteristic of these animals.

1. Earless seals are slow on land, but feel great in the water - they can reach speeds of up to twenty-four kilometers per hour. Eared seals are active both on land and in water; their maximum speed is twenty-seven kilometers per hour.
2. They are predators. The fish is not chewed, but swallowed whole. Maximum - can be torn apart large pieces(they have very sharp teeth).
3. They do not have lacrimal glands, but they can cry.
4. The Baikal seal is a species of seal living in fresh water.
5. To find out how old a dead seal is, count the circles at the base of the fangs.
6. With the help of fat, seals maintain good buoyancy.
7. The seal pulse in its normal state is from fifty to one hundred and twenty beats per minute, but when diving it is only four to fifteen beats.
8. They have excellent hearing and very poor eyesight.
9. Thanks to their white baby down, newborn seals are called pups. Belek is hunted by poachers due to its softness and density. Every year he dies for this reason. a large number of seal babies.
10. They detect odors at a distance of up to several hundred meters.
11. They breed once a year.
12. To get rid of fur during molting, seals help each other by scratching their backs.
13. Seals have very sensitive sleep.
14. The name of the eared seals was given at the beginning of the nineteenth century by the British zoologist John Gray.
15. The most numerous species of seal is the crabeater.
16. Eared seals waddle along the ground.
17. They can “accidentally” swallow stones along with food - up to eleven kilograms of stones were found in the stomachs of dead animals.

We are all touched when we see a seal - especially if we come to the dolphinarium. But, while rejoicing at meeting this cute animal, we must not forget that it is we, humans, who are the reason for the decrease in its population. This means that we can do everything to prevent this from happening.

Uniting representatives of two families: true and eared seals. Quite clumsy on land, they are excellent swimmers underwater. Their traditional habitat is coastal zones of southern and northern latitudes. The types of seals that exist in nature vary greatly, but at the same time there are many common features in their appearance, habits and way of life.

In the broad sense of the word, all representatives of the order Pinnipeds can be considered seals, but usually this name refers to animals from the family of true seals. They are closely related to representatives of the family of eared seals (and) and. Distant relatives seals are, on the one hand, terrestrial predators, and on the other, cetaceans that have completely switched to an aquatic lifestyle. The diversity of seals is relatively small, there are about 20 species in total.

Appearance

Appearance seals clearly indicates their aquatic lifestyle. At the same time, they did not completely lose contact with land like cetaceans. All types of seals are quite large animals weighing from 40 kg (y) to 2.5 tons (y). However, even animals of the same species differ greatly in weight different times years as they accumulate seasonal fat reserves.

The body of seals is elongated and ridged at the same time, the contours of the body are streamlined, the neck is short and thick, the head is relatively small with a flattened skull. The limbs of the seals turned into flat flippers, with the hands and feet being most developed, and the shoulder and thigh girdles being shortened.

Typically, when moving on land, seals rely on their forelimbs and stomach, while their hind limbs drag along the ground. In water, the front flippers act as a rudder and are hardly used for paddling. This is significantly different from the method of locomotion of eared seals, which actively use all limbs to move both on land and under water.

Real seals do not have ears, and the ear canal is closed by a special muscle during diving. Despite this, seals have good hearing. But the eyes of these animals, on the contrary, are large, but myopic. This structure of the visual organs is characteristic of aquatic mammals.

Of all the senses, seals have the best developed sense of smell. These animals perfectly detect odors at a distance of 200-500 m! They also have tactile vibrissae (commonly called whiskers), which help navigate among underwater obstacles. In addition, some species of seals are capable of echolocation, with the help of which they determine the location of prey under water. True, their echolocating abilities are much less developed than those of whales.

Origin of the species

It is known that the ancestors of pinniped mammals once walked freely on the earth. Later, perhaps due to deterioration climatic conditions, they were forced to go into the water. Moreover, most likely, true and eared seals originated from different animals.

Scientists believe that the ancestors of the true, or common, seal were otter-like creatures that were found in the North Atlantic fifteen million years ago. The eared seal is more ancient - its ancestors, dog-like mammals, lived in northern latitudes Pacific Ocean.

Peculiarities

The front flippers of true seals are much smaller than the back ones. The latter are always extended back and do not bend at the heel joint. They are unable to serve as a support when moving on land, but in water the animal swims precisely thanks to them, making powerful strokes. The eared seal moves in the water in a completely different way. It swims like a penguin, swinging its forelimbs. Its rear flippers serve only as a rudder.

Like most aquatic animals, seals do not have external genitalia; more precisely, they are hidden in the folds of the body and are completely invisible from the outside. In addition, seals do not have sexual dimorphism - males and females look the same (with the exception of the hooded seal and elephant seal, the males of which have special “decorations” on their faces).

The body of seals is covered with hard, short hair, which does not impede their movement in the water column. At the same time, seal fur is very thick and is highly valued in the fur trade. A thick layer also protects the seals' bodies from the cold. subcutaneous fat, which takes on the main thermoregulatory function. The body color of most species is dark - gray, brown; some species may have a speckled pattern or a contrasting color.

Reproduction

During the breeding season, most species of true seals form pairs. Of these, only elephant seals and long-snout seals are polygamous. The female's pregnancy lasts from 280 to 350 days, after which one cub is born - already sighted and fully formed. His mother feeds him full fat milk from several weeks to one month, stopping feeding when the seal calf is still unable to obtain food on its own. Babies starve for some time, surviving on accumulated fat reserves.

Due to the thick white fur covering the skin and being almost invisible against the background of snow, the newborn seal pup received the nickname “squirrel”. The seal, however, is not always born white: the pups sea ​​hares, for example, olive-brown in color. As a rule, females try to hide their babies in “holes” made of snow between ice hummocks, which contributes to their better survival.

Since seals on land are clumsy, the mother is completely unable to protect her child; in case of danger, she only tries to hide with the calf in the hole, and if it is still too small, she is saved alone. For this reason, mortality among whites is very high.

The main enemies of seals on earth are... people. If bears hunt seals of all ages (they are quite capable of killing an adult), then people hunt exclusively for whites. After all, it’s them baby fur has the greatest density and quality.

Seal hunting is disgustingly simple - the cubs are simply beaten with sticks in front of their helpless mother. Moreover, the “raw materials” are prepared in such quantities that modern times simply unjustified.

Southern species of seals, due to the desertity of the Antarctic lands, have no enemies on land. But danger awaits them in the water, where seals can be killed. Some species of seals are on the verge of extinction due to the destruction of natural habitats. For example, the monk seal is deprived of its rookeries because the coast Mediterranean Sea Almost 100% are occupied by human infrastructure.

During the breeding season, eared seals gather in fairly large herds on secluded coastal areas and islands. The first to appear on the shore are the males, who, trying to capture larger areas, arrange fights with each other. Then females appear at the rookery.

After some time, each of them gives birth to a cub, and soon after that they mate again with the male, who continues to guard his territory. The aggression of male eared seals fades with the end of the breeding season. Then these animals begin to spend more and more time in the water. In colder latitudes, they migrate to winter where it is a little warmer, and in more favorable conditions can stay near their rookeries all year round.

Habitat

Seals are distributed very widely; in total, the ranges of different species cover the entire Earth. Seals reach their greatest diversity in the cold latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic, but the monk seal, for example, lives in the Mediterranean. All types of seals are closely associated with water and live either on the coasts of seas and oceans, or on vast expanses of pack (perennial) ice.

Several species of seals (Baikal and Caspian seals) live isolated in the internal lakes of continents (Baikal Island and the Caspian Sea, respectively). Real seals migrate short distances; they are not characterized by long migrations like fur seals, for example.

Features of behavior

Most often, seals form group aggregations - rookeries - on the shore or ice floe. Unlike other species of pinnipeds (fur seals, sea lions, walruses), true seals do not form dense and numerous herds. They also have a much weaker herd instinct: for example, seals feed and rest independently of each other and only monitor the behavior of their fellow animals in case of danger.

These animals do not quarrel with each other (except during the mating season); there have been cases when, during molting, seals scratched each other’s backs in a friendly manner, helping to get rid of old fur.

Seals on the shore are clumsy and helpless: they usually lie close to the water, from time to time diving into the wormwood for prey. In case of danger, they rush to dive, while moving with visible effort, but once in the water they swim quickly and easily.

Seals are capable of diving to great depths and are underwater long time. The record holder for this is the Weddell seal, which can stay underwater for 16 minutes, while diving to a depth of up to 500 m!

Seals feed on a variety of aquatic animals - fish, mollusks, large crustaceans. Different types They prefer to hunt different prey, for example, a leopard seal - penguins, a crabeater seal - crustaceans, etc.

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 by the absence of ears (for which they are often 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 flippers. Excellent swimmers and divers. They move in the water due to wave-like movements of the back of the body and rear flippers. Physiology allows them to dive deep for food and stay under water for a long time. During diving, the heart rate drops, but the level blood pressure however, it does not decrease. This is achieved due to the fact that at depth the blood flow to the heart and seal brain contracts, and the oxygen contained in it is spent on the work of muscles and other organs that help the animal obtain food. The body is 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. Once a year, seals molt.
In some species, males are larger and heavier than females, in others it is the opposite. Mostly herd polygamous animals. Most species are characterized by a latent phase of pregnancy, a delay in the development of the embryo after mating. Thanks to this, the timing of childbirth and mating is synchronized and confined to relatively short period life on land.

Gray seal

The male weighs up to 300 kg and of all the real seals second in size only to the sea groan. The thick skin on the powerful shoulders of males forms numerous folds and wrinkles. They are sometimes 2 times heavier than females, have a wider, more massive muzzle and a more convex, rounded forehead. After the breeding season, gray seals make long migrations, but stay mainly in coastal waters, where they feed on fish, squid, octopus and crustaceans.
Within their range they reproduce in different terms, but females always go to the rookery before males and manage to give birth to cubs before their appearance. Arriving males immediately acquire individual territories, and they usually do not start fights. Old, experienced animals occupy the most convenient areas of the shore, although after 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 in the northern and south directions. They can move quickly on ice. The main food - fish and crustaceans - are often obtained at great depths.
They usually live in herds. Only old males stay solitary. At the end of February and beginning of March, females gather on wide ice floes and give birth to 1 cub. They feed for about a month baby seals rich, nutritious milk, and then swim out to sea to feed. 2-3 weeks after giving birth, females mate with males that appear on the ice floes. While courting their friends, males constantly start fights among themselves, using their teeth and flippers. At the end of spring, the entire herd begins to migrate north to summer feeding grounds.

Common seal (largi)

The color 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 are slightly larger than females. These seals They do not make long migrations and often choose to rest on rocky shores or reefs protruding from the water. Pursuing salmon going to spawn, they sometimes swim into rivers and fresh lakes. Main food for seals- fish, squid and crustaceans - are sometimes caught on great depth, remaining underwater during hunting for up to 30 minutes, although usually no more than 4-5 minutes.
They court and mate underwater. Females give birth to their young on ice floes and feed them 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 remain under water for 2 minutes. When pup stops drinking milk, the female leaves him and mates with the male in order to give birth to a new baby in a year.

Crabeater seal

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

Sea hare (sealed bearded seal)

On the sides of the muzzle, this representative of pinnipeds has thick, very long and thick whiskers (vibrissae). The sea hare is a large, heavily built seal with grayish-brown fur. Females a little more males. The animals obtain their food - crustaceans, mollusks and fish - mainly at the bottom, therefore they live in shallow coastal waters, making short migrations in search of food.
In the spring they gather on floating ice floes and begin to reproduce. Females reach sexual maturity at 6 years and every year they give birth to 1 cub, which they carry for 10-11 months. baby seals They begin to swim immediately after birth. Females feed them milk for 12-18 days, managing to mate with males during this time.

Leopard seal

Its long slender body perfectly adapted for underwater hunting of fast-swimming animals - penguins and seals. A wide mouth with sharp teeth helps to grab and hold victims. He catches penguins both in water and on ice floes. Before eating a caught bird, he deftly rips off its skin with his teeth. Sometimes eats fish, squid and crustaceans.
Reproduction information leopard seals very scarce. It is only known that these seals mate from January to March.

Monk Seal

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

Weddell seal

It is distinguished by a disproportionately small head, a cute short muzzle and extraordinary trustfulness towards humans. 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, and this is where their favorite cod fish stay. When diving to such a significant depth, the heart rate decreases seal 4 times.
During normal times of the year they live alone. Young animals sometimes live 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 closely with the babies, and then spend half the time at sea feeding. At 6 weeks, the seal pups stop feeding on milk, and after another week they are already swimming with all their might and can dive to a depth of 90 m. Having stopped breast-feeding, females mate with males.

Khokhlach

It spends most of its life in the open sea, catching fish and squid at considerable depths. In summer, hooded seals gather on ice floes drifting in the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland and molt. After molting, they disperse across the seas to meet again in the spring next year in another place - off the island of Newfoundland. Here, on floating ice floes, females give birth to 1 cub in March, which are fed with milk for 7-12 days. All this time, a male swims next to the ice floe that shelters the female and her baby and drives away rivals. Periodically, it crawls onto the ice floe and emits a roar, the volume of which is increased by the expandable leathery bag on its nose. If another male appears on the ice floe, a fight breaks out between the rivals. About 2 weeks after giving birth, the female mates with her boyfriend.

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