Although there are 35 species of seals, only six types live in Antarctica: Antarctic Fur Seals, Crabeater Seals, Leopard Seals, Ross Seals, and Weddell Seals. However, these six species make up the majority of the world’s seal population. Phocidae (true seals), Otaridae (fur seals and sea lions) and Odobenidae (walrus). Pinnipeds, which arose from land mammals, have evolved slick bodies, ideal for gliding through water. Pinnipeds are mammals. They’re warm-blooded, give live birth, nurse their young, breathe air, and have hair.Harp seals have a varied diet of fish such as capelin, polar and Arctic cod, herring, sculpin, Greenland halibut, redfish, and plaice. They also consume crustaceans such as amphipods, euphausids (krill), and decapods (shrimps and prawns).Weddell seals are able to stay underwater for up to 80 minutes while they look for breathing holes in the sea ice.Many different species of seal live in both Antarctica and the Arctic, and life cycles vary considerably among species. Some species depend entirely on the presence of sea ice to survive.
Seals spend much of their life in water, but they mate, give birth to babies and take care of them on the shore.
Thick fur and blubber offer protection against freezing temperatures.
When they are on the land, they live in huge colonies with over thousand seals.
Seal produce milk with 50% fats. Their babies gain 3-5 pounds daily thanks to milk.
Largest seal is Southern elephant seal that can reach 13 feet in length and weight up to 2 tones. Smallest seal is Galapagos fur seal that has 4 feet in length and weighs only 65 pounds.
Seals have more blood in their body than other animals. Since blood cells keep the oxygen, seal can dive longer than other animals.
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