Seals are interesting creatures aren’t they, but most of us don’t really know much about them other than they eat fish and swim in the sea, well that’s’ all about to change as we look at some interesting facts about seals.

What are seals?

Seals are marine mammals that live in various areas of the world they are quite amazing in that they can in both arctic and tropical climates thanks to their body make-up. Believe it or not, there are around 33 species of seals some have ears like sea lions and others do not.

Interesting seal facts

• Seals spend most of their time in the water, but when it comes to reproduction, they mate, give birth to and care for their babies on the shore.
• They can have thick fur and ‘blubber’ which is a type of fat to help protect them against freezing temperatures
• Seals produce milk with a really high fat content, around 50%. Because of the high fat content, their babies can grow really quickly.
• Seals are sociable creatures, you can even swim with them, search for seal swim in Bermagui for some of the best seal swimming experiences.
• When they are on land, they can live in massive colonies of over 1000 seals.
• Seals can be really big, the biggest type of seal is the ‘Southern Elephant’, they can grow to be around 13 feet in length and weigh up to 2 tonnes!
• The smallest type of seal is the ‘Galapagos fur’ seal, at around 4 feet in length and only weighing around 65 pounds.
• Seals have more blood in their bodies than most other animals.
• Amazingly enough, seals can hold their breath for up to 2 hours! Surely a record in anyone’s books!
• They reduce their heart rate by around 50-80% when diving to enable them to hold their breath for longer under the water.
• When searching for food, seals have been known to dive as far as 1300 feet.
• Their most common snack is fish or squids.
• Seal’s flippers are not sensitive, so they use their mouths and whiskers to help them detect vibrations of food or prey.
• If a seal lives to become an adult, then they can live up to 30 years.

Well, I never!

Who knew there was so much to know about seals and this is just a snippet, if you want to, you could arrange an excursion and maybe even go and swim with these amazing creatures!