41 Facts About Seals For Kids: Are They Really Friendly?

Seals are semi-aquatic marine mammals that are often called pinnipeds, which literally means 'fin-footed'.

These warm-blooded mammals with four flippers prefer living near icy waters. The pinniped family not only has seals but also common seals, fur seals, sea lions, and even walrus, and seals alone have 33 species.

Ever noticed that seals have a cute bear-like face but the body of an aquatic mammal? This is because they are believed to have evolved from land-based mammals like bears or otters. Read on for fun facts about these marine animals and afterward also check out facts about sharks and the baby pink dolphin.

Fun Facts About Seals

Seals are fascinating animals so let's look at some fun facts about these animals:

• Seals dominate the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic and can be spotted in tropical regions too.
• A layer of fat under their skin, called blubber, keeps them warm in the cold water and they also have a  fur coat to glide through the water with ease.
• A seal has whiskers like an otter or bear and that helps them detect prey in dark waters.
• Female seals have a longer life expectancy than male seals. They have an average life expectancy of 25-30 years.
• Seals might appear herbivorous, but these are carnivorous mammals, that predate on fishes, squeals, shellfishes, crustaceans, and sea birds.
• Seals prefer water over land. They appear on land for mating, to give birth, or to escape from their predators like orca whales or sharks.  Seals can even sleep underwater and spend months in the sea.
• Underwater, seals can hold their breath for over two hours and they possess the skill to slow down their heartbeat and conserve oxygen.
• A female seal, called a cow, will give birth to offspring on land, which is called a pup.
• Humans don’t even spare these innocent beings. They are hunted and exploited for fur coats, meats, and blubber.
• The leopard seal is the largest seal that can also prey on other mammals of the same species.

Seals And Penguins

Penguins are flightless birds that are clumsy on land and nimble in the water. They dominate the coasts of the Southern Hemispheres. The same goes with the seals. They feel comfier in water and can spend hours underwater holding their breath. Both Penguins and seals have flippers.

• Scientists say that seals often try to mate with penguins and fur seals were spotted copulating with the penguins.
• They usually predate on fishes, squids, krills, and even birds including penguins. However, many a time, instead of predating, they were spotted mating with the penguins on land. Scientists are still analyzing if this behavior is intentional.

Scary Facts About Seals

Seals are often seen as cute creatures but these scary seal facts might make you think differently!

• With the help of fins, seals can sift through the water and hunt for food.
• Seals rarely attack humans but leopard seals are the most violent.
• Often, while communicating, seals slap the waters to show their aggression.
• Larger seals might attack and eat small and weaker seals.
• Elephant seals have 'smoker’s blood', due to the high presence of carbon monoxide in their blood. A person who smokes 40 or more cigarettes a day will have the same amount of carbon monoxide!
• Harp seals can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes while Weddell seals can stay for up to 80 minutes.

Different Types Of Seals

There are 33 species of seals. Fur seals, the smallest seal species, and sea lions fall under the eared seals category and numerous other types of seals fall under the true seals category.

• Southern and northern fur seals, northern sea lions or stellar sea lions, Australian, South American, and New Zealand sea lions fall under the head of eared seals.
• Others, like hooded seals, bearded seals, gray seals, ribbon seals, leopard seals, Weddell seals, crabeater seals, elephant seals, monk seals, ross seals, harp seals, harbor seals, Caspian, ringed and Baikal seals fall under the head of true seals.
• The crabeater seal species has the largest population at around 2-75 million.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 41 Facts about seals for kids: Are they really friendly? then why not take a look at dolphin fin, or fish that eat snails?