Pinnepeds (Seals, Sea Lions & Walrus)

What is Pinneped?
—The word "pinniped" is Latin for wing- or fin-footed.
-are in the order Carnivora and suborder Pinnipedia, and includes all the seals, sea lions and the walrus.
-There are three families of pinnipeds:
the Phocidae, the earless or ‘true’ seals (e.g., harbor or common seals); -the Otariidae, the eared seals, (e.g., fur seals and sea lions) and
the Odobenidae, the walrus.
-These three families contain 33 species.
-mate, give birth and nurse their young onshore.
-are usually barrel-shaped, have fur and have wide flippers at the end of their short limbs.
-Their streamlined shape and adeptness at swimming makes them quick and agile in the water.


10 Facts About Earless & Eared Seals
1. Seals are carnivores.
2. Seals evolved from land animals.
—-Seals are thought to have evolved from bear- or otter-like ancestors who lived on land.
3. Seals are mammals.
—-Seals do spend lots of time in the water, but they breed, give birth to live young and nurse their young on shore.
4. There are many kinds of seals.
—-There are 32 species of seals.
—-The largest is the southern elephant seal, which can grow up to about 13 feet in length and more than 2 tons in weight.
—-The smallest species is the Galapagos fur seal, which grows to up to about 4 feet long and 65 pounds.
5. Seals are distributed throughout the world.
—-Seals are found from polar to tropical waters.
6. Seals insulate themselves using a thick fur coat and layer of blubber.
—-In polar environments, seals restrict blood flow to their skin surface to keep from releasing internal body heat to the ice.
—-In warm environments, the reverse is true. Blood is sent toward the extremities, allowing heat to release into the environment and letting the seal cool its internal temperature.
7. Seals detect prey with their whiskers.
—-The diet of seals is varied depending on the species, but most eat primarily fish and squid.
— -Seals find prey by detecting prey vibrations using their whiskers (vibrissae).
8. Seals can dive underwater deeply and for extended periods.
—-(up to 2 hours for some species) because they have a higher concentration of hemoglobin in their blood and their large amounts of myoglobin in their muscles (both hemoglobin and myoglobin are oxygen-carrying compounds).
—-Like cetaceans, they conserve oxygen when diving by restricting blood flow to only vital organs and slowing their heart rates by about 50-80%.
9. Seals have several natural predators.
—-Natural predators of seals include sharks, orcas (killer whale) and polar bears.
10. Humans are the greatest threats to seals.
—-Seals have long been commercially hunted for their pelts, meat and blubber.
—-Other human threats to seals include pollution (e.g., oil spills, industrial pollutants and competition for prey with humans.

Difference Between Seals and Sea Lions
Phocidae (Earless or 'True' Seals)
-Have no external ear flaps.
-Swim with their hind flippers. Their hind flippers always face backward and are furred.
-Have 2 or 4 teats.
-Can be found in both marine and freshwater environments.
-Examples of earless (true) seals:
—harbor (common) seal (Phoca vitulina),
—grey seal (Halichoerus grypus),
—hooded seal (Cystophora cristata),
—harp seal (Phoca groenlandica),
—elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), and
—monk seal (Monachus sp.)
Otariidae (Eared Seals)
-Have external ear flaps.
-Swim with their front flippers. Unlike earless seals, their hind flippers can turn forward, and they are better able to “walk” on their flippers.
-Have 4 teats.
-Are only found in marine environments.
-Examples of eared seals:
—Steller’s sea lion (eumetopias jubatus),
—California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), and
—Northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus).

Gray Seals
-are pinnipeds with a long snout and horse-like head.
-scientific name refers to this characteristic, as it translates to “hook-nosed pig of the sea.”
-Gray seals are large, reaching lengths up to about 8 feet and weights over 600 pounds.
-range in coloration from a dark brown to dark gray coat in males and a lighter grayish-tan in females.
-Both males and females may have spots or patches.
-older males have a more “roman-nosed” appearance than females.
Feeding:
-Gray seals feed on fish, crustaceans, cephalopods (e.g., squid, octopus), and occasionally seabirds.
-Their predators include sharks and orcas.
Migration and Reproduction:
-Female gray seals are mature at 3-5 years and males at 4-6 years.
-Gray seals may mate on land or in the water, but they come ashore to give birth.
-Males will often try to mate with more than one female.
-The gestation period is about 11 months, after which the female gives birth to a pup with a white coat that is about 3 feet long and weighs about 40 pounds.
-The female nurses for about 2 ½ weeks and then the pup is left to fend for itself.
-At first it lives off of its blubber, but then starts feeding at sea when it is about 3-6 weeks old.

Harp Seal
-are ice-loving pinnepeds that live in the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans.
-are fuzzy white when born, but their coat gradually changes as they mature, turning into a silvery gray with a darker harp-shaped pattern on the adult's back and sides.
-grow to about 6.5 feet in length and 287 pounds in weight.
Feeding:
-Harp seals eat smaller fish such as capelin, cod, herring, sculpin, halibut, redfish and plaice.
-They also dine on crustaceans (such as krill and shrimp).
-Their predators include humans, polar bears, killer whales, sharks and walruses.
Migration and Reproduction:
—Harp seals are migratory, gathering to breed on pack ice in the winter and early spring, and
—then dispersing to feed in cold arctic and subarctic waters in the warmer summer and autumn months.
—After about an 11.5 month gestation period, 3-foot long, 25-pound harp seal pups are born in February to April.
—The pup nurses for about 12 days, and then is weaned, where it stays on the ice for about 2 more weeks before it starts to swim and feed on its own.
—The pups are born with yellowish fur, which turns white after a couple of days.
—After 2-4 weeks, the pup molts this white fur and grows a silvery gray coat with dark spots, which eventually turns into an adult coat which is silvery gray with the characteristic darker "harp" shape.
—Adult males have a black head.
—The harp seal's lifespan is thought to be 30-35 years.

Trivia Facts
1. A barrel of water weighs 20 pounds. What must you add to it to make it weigh 12 pounds?
Answer Holes.
2. A farmer had seventeen sheep, all but nine died, how many did he have left?
Answer Nine
3. A father's child, a mother's child, yet no one's son.
Answer A girl or daughter.
4. A man builds a house with all 4 sides facing south. A bear walks past the house. What color is the bear?
Answer White: the house is built directly on the North Pole.
5. How much dirt is in a hole 4 feet deep and 2 feet wide?
Answer There is no dirt in a hole
6. I know a word of letters three, Add two and fewer there will be.
Answer Few.
7. If you were in a dark room with a candle, a woodstove, a match and a gas lamp which do you light first?
Answer The match.
8. There are sixty cups on a table. If one falls down, then how many remain?
Answer six tea cups . So if one falls down then 5 tea cups will remain!
9. What goes up and down, but still remains in the same place?
Answer Stairs!
10. Which letter of the English alphabet flies, sings and stings?

Answer 'B' (bee).