Eared seals
Eared seals, also known as walking seals or sea lions, belong to the family Otariidae and are distinguished from true seals by their unique ability to use their fore flippers for propulsion in water and their agility on land. They possess external ear flaps, thick fur, and large hind flippers, enabling them to thrive in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The Galápagos fur seal is the smallest species, measuring about four feet in length, while the Steller sea lion is the largest, reaching lengths of nearly ten feet and weights up to 2,500 pounds. Eared seals are adapted to cold waters, with a layer of blubber that insulates them against the elements.
These animals primarily inhabit coastal saltwater regions and breed on land, where they establish lively social breeding grounds. Males often compete for mates, forming harems of females during the breeding season. After a gestation period of about a year, females nurse their pups for approximately four months and can recognize their young by specialized calls. Eared seals have a varied diet, feeding on fish, crustaceans, and squid, and can dive to depths of up to 490 feet to hunt. Their lifespan ranges from 25 to 30 years, depending on the species.
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Eared seals
Eared seals, also called walking seals and sea lions, are different from true seals because they use their fore flippers to push themselves through the water. They are also agile on land. Some sea lions can be trained to run up ladders.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Otariidae
Genus: Various (see below)
Species: Various (see below)
Eared seals include several species in the Otariidae family that have scroll-like external ear flaps, thick fur, small fore flippers, and large hind flippers they use to propel themselves through water and walk on land. The smallest of the eared seals is the Galápagos fur seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis). Females are only four feet (1 1/4 meters) long and weigh 60 pounds (27 kilograms). The largest eared seal is the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). It is 9 3/4 feet (3 meters) long and weighs 1,000 to 2,500 pounds (450 to 1,120 kilograms). Eared seals have a layer of fatty tissue, called blubber, right under their skin. This fat is used to keep the animals warm in cold waters and acts as a storage place for food.
Eared seals live in saltwater coastal regions on offshore rocks and islands. Many species, like the brown fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus), live in cool water, but some, like the subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) and the Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella), live in the freezing waters near Antarctica. They find their food in the sea, but eared seals breed on land. Eared seals protect themselves from predators such as human hunters, large sharks, killer whales, leopard seals, and polar bears by finding secure breeding grounds on land.
Because the eared seals are social breeders, the breeding grounds are lively places during the breeding months. Often, the males will fight for mates. Successful breeding bulls, or males, have harems, or groups of female mates. The gestation period (duration of pregnancy) is one year. Eight days after the cow (female seal) has her pup, or young seal, she will mate again, and go back to sea on a feeding trip. The cow nurses the pup for about four months. When she comes back from one of her trips to the sea, she finds her pup among the hundreds of others by yelling out her special pup-attraction call. The pup will recognize its mother's call and respond.
While hunting, eared seals often travel in small groups or alone. Eared seals are found where the ocean current brings fish and other sea life to the water's surface. Eared seals eat fish, crustaceans, and squid, but their diet varies by location and food availability. They will dive up to 490 feet (150 meters) to catch food.
The lifespan of eared seals varies between species but may be around 25 to 30 years.
Bibliography
"Eared Seals." Ocean Animals, oceananimals.org/ocean-mammals/pinnipeds/eared-seals. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
Myers, Phil. "Otariidae." Animal Diversity Web, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Otariidae. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.