Hands Down Animals · Printable fact sheet
Seal
Pinnipedia (Phocidae, Otariidae, Odobenidae families)
Quick facts
| Scientific name | Pinnipedia (Phocidae, Otariidae, Odobenidae families) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1.2–5 meters in length (species-dependent) |
| Weight | 45 to over 3,000 kg (species-dependent) |
| Lifespan | 20–30 years on average |
| Diet | Primarily fish, squid, crustaceans, and some invertebrates; a few species eat krill. |
| Habitat | Coastal waters, Open ocean, Pack and fast ice (polar regions) |
| Where it lives | North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, Baltic Sea |
| IUCN status | Varies by species: overall Least Concern, but some critically endangered (e.g., Hawaiian Monk Seal) |
| Population | 30,000,000 - 35,000,000 (all seals globally) |
| Top speed | 35 km/h |
| Family | Phocidae (True Seals) |
About the seal
Seals are marine mammals that hunt fish and squid at sea and come ashore, or onto ice, to rest, moult and give birth. True seals have no ear flaps and shuffle on their bellies on land, but underwater they excel: the Weddell seal of Antarctica dives to 600 metres and stays under for over an hour, and southern elephant seal bulls weigh several tonnes. Most of the roughly 33 seal, sea lion and walrus species are Least Concern, but the Hawaiian monk seal is Endangered.
Five things to know
- Seals belong to the group Pinnipedia, including true seals, fur seals, and walruses.
- Crabeater seals are the most numerous large mammals after humans.
- The Baikal seal is the only exclusively freshwater seal species in the world.
- Harbor seals can sleep underwater, surfacing unconsciously to breathe.
- Some seals, like the Weddell seal, can dive deeper than 600 meters and remain submerged for over an hour.
Homeschool unit: Ocean homeschool guide — An ocean unit on marine food webs, tides and conservation, with the seal as a case study.