Seals,Sea Lions,and Walruses

Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses

Meet the Pinnipeds You are sitting on a rock by the seashore. Suddenly, a pair of curious eyes peeks up from the water. As quickly as it came, the animal disappears. You are very lucky-you have seen a seal. Seals, along with sea lions and walruses, belong to a group of animals called pinnipeds.

Pinnipeds are marine, or ocean, mammals. Mammals are animals that breathe air, have fur, and have live babies that drink their mothers' milk. Pinnipeds include seals, sea lions, and walruses. Their name comes from a Greek word meaning “ fin-footed. " Pinnipeds have flippers instead of feet. Pinnipeds are predators, which means they eat other animals.

Life in the Ocean Pinnipeds spend most of their lives in the ocean. They have flippers and long, torpedo-shaped bodies to help them swim. These features make pinnipeds graceful in the water, but awkward on land. When a pinniped goes underwater, its nose and throat shut automatically. Some seals can hold their breath for over an hour. Elephant seals can hold it for two!

Most pinnipeds eat fish, squid, octopus, and shellfish such as shrimp and clams. Pinnipeds must dive deep to find these animals. The Southern elephant seal can dive over1, 500 meters (5, 000 ft)! That is deeper than any other mammal can go. Pinnipeds have large eyes that can see in deep, dark water. They have good ears to hear their prey swimming around. They also have sensitive whiskers that can feel an animal swimming by or moving around on the ocean floor.

Keeping Warm Most pinnipeds live in cold oceans near the North and South Poles. How do pinnipeds keep warm? Many pinnipeds have dense fur with smooth hairs on the top and thick, fluffy hairs on the bottom. The fluffy hairs are waterproof. Pinnipeds also have a layer of fat called blubber that keeps heat inside their bodies. Some pinnipeds have blubber 10 centimeters (4in) thick.