When you think about marine mammals, you might imagine calm, graceful dolphins. But there is another side to the mammal world; while some animals are lovable and soft-looking like dolphins, others possess an aggressive air that makes them seem very powerful. These animals are known as sea carnivores.

Sea carnivores include species such as sharks, sea lions, and yes, even seals. Seals are one of the most charming sea creatures. Their appealing faces, cute antics, and adorable expression have given them a reputation as being "cute". Let's get to know seals a little bit more!

Description and Appearance

Seals have a large skull, short snout, and small eyes. They have small flippers on their feet that help them to move through the water as they swim. When a seal moves toward something it wants to eat, its ears will flatten against its head out of fear or shyness. Seals come in many different colors such as black, brown, gray, and white. The most distinct feature of seals is their whiskers. They have long, bushy whiskers that stick out from both sides of their face. These whiskers help the seal swim by giving it extra sensory information about its surrounding environment. A seal's whiskers are so sensitive that they can even sense the presence of fish just below the surface of the water.

Speaking of sensitivity, Gage Beasley’s Seal Soft Stuffed Plush Pillow Toy is sensitively soft to the touch. If you’ve always wanted to make a seal your friend, this is one of the best chances to do so. It’s cute, cuddle, and not as carnivorous as its real counterpart!

Gage Beasley’s Seal Soft Stuffed Plush Pillow Toy

Diet

Sea carnivores eat almost anything they can get their fins on. Seals primarily eat fish and squid, but they will also feed on crustaceans like crabs and lobsters as well as other marine animals such as octopus or even some varieties of birds that happen to be swimming nearby! Because of the fact that seals live in the water, their food is already partially prepared when they eat it. Seals have sharp teeth called canines that they use to pierce through the shells of their prey.

Seals are not the only sea carnivores that eat fish and squid. Killer whales, great white sharks, and even some varieties of birds are also known as predators.

Reproduction

Seals are very social animals that live in large colonies. The females will give birth to one pup per year, and the baby is cared for by both parents. After giving birth, the mother seal will nurse her pup until it is old enough to eat fish on its own. While they are nursing their baby, female seals can produce up to four gallons of milk per day!

The baby seals are called pups. At birth, young seals are grey and have short hair. They are born on land, not in the water. A pup will stay with its mother for up to one year before it is old enough to care for itself. During this time, the mother seal will teach her pup how to swim and hunt fish. Once the pup has learned all that it needs to know about survival, it will go off on its own.

Distribution and Conservation Status

There are over 40 different species of seal. Seals are very popular animals in the United States, so they are also well-known to most people living along the coasts of this country.

Many sea carnivores have been hunted by humans for their meat and fur. Because there was a high demand for these products, many species of seals experienced a steep decline in their population. In fact, some species of seals have been wiped out completely from certain areas of the world because of hunting.

Fortunately for these animals, they are now protected by law and international treaties. Several large conservation groups exist to protect them as well, such as the National Marine Fisheries and Seals and Sea Lions World-Wide.

If these conservation efforts continue, it is possible that seals might one day regain their former population numbers.

Final Thoughts

The seal is a cute sea carnivore with whiskers and flippers on its feet. Seals eat fish and squid, often fishing for prey near the surface of the water where they have less difficulty catching their food. They are social animals that live together in large colonies, though they only reproduce once a year. The pup is born on land and lives with its mother for up to one year before leaving home. The seal's main predator is the great white shark, but humans also pose a threat because seals have been hunted for their meat and fur.

 Cheers!

~GB