Page 17 - World of Animals - Issue #41

Seals are curious
creatures,
and they have
Harbour seal Harp seal been known to
approach boats
Bearded seal
This seal uses all its senses to avoid a
Ringed seal polar bear attack
Bearded seals are solitary
animals, only found together
during the breeding season.
When hauled out on the ice,
they avoid polar bears by facing
downwind and towards the
Grey seal water. This position allows them
These seals leave their to hear and smell what is behind
birthplaces far behind
Grey seals gather to breed in them and see what is in front,
‘rookeries’, which can form on and quickly slip into the water to
escape an attack.
rocky islands, sandy beaches
or caves. Females nurse their
pups for two to three weeks,
and then leave them to fend for
themselves. Once they have fully
moulted, the pups will disperse,
travelling up to 1,000 kilometres
(620 miles) from the rookery
where they were born.
Baikal seal
Mediterranean Caspian seal The only seal that lives solely in
monk seal fresh water
Baikal seals are found almost
exclusively in Lake Baikal in
Russia, the deepest lake in the
world. The water freezes over in
the winter, and the seals have to
use their strong foreclaws to carve
holes in the ice. In the summer, the
seals haul themselves onto the
shore between feeding trips.

Seals of

the world

These determined pinnipeds
are found in oceans and lakes
across the globe

Far from the popular image of cute, lazy
Weddell seal mammals, seals are actually some of the most
energetic critters ever to grace the seas. From
the waters off Hawaii to the ice-cold depths
of the Antarctic, these animals have found a
Crabeater seal home in every ocean on the planet.
© Abi Daker

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