Seals are common in all northern seas. These are predatory mammals from the group of pinnipeds. Two subspecies (European and island) are listed in the Red Book. The coastal waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the North and Baltic seas are also populated by seals.
Description of animals
The weight and length of the animal can vary greatly - from ninety-five kilograms to three tons, from one and a half to six meters. The smallest species is ringed seal, the largest is the elephant seal. Usually the color of the animal is brown, gray or reddish. Under natural conditions, females live up to thirty-five years, and males live up to twenty. The body of the animal has a fusiform shape, the head is small, tapering in front. Short and inactive neck, auricles absent. Well defined but short tail. The front flippers are quite short (less than twenty-five percent of the total body length). They are much shorter than the rear.
Breeding and feeding
In the mating season, seals are kept in pairs. A baby is usually born on ice. One puppy is born. In the light, he appears sighted, fully physically formed. Most often, females try to hide their cub in snow holes. Milk feeding ceases when the cub is not yet able to get food, therefore, from two to twelve weeks the animals starve, surviving only due to the accumulated fat.
Seal Cub: What is it called?
These are perhaps the most charming representatives of the animal world - a large head and large, wide-open eyes. In addition, these babies have snow-white fur covering their entire body. Since ancient times, Pomors have called an adult male seal a bald fawn, a female an apprentice, and their cubs were called differently, depending on their age, as squirrels, greenbacks, cherries, crests. All these names are correct and relevant today. In the scientific literature, a small seal is most often called a puppy. And such a baby is called a seal.
Seal Hatchling: Birth
In the summer months, seals live in the Far North. In late autumn, they begin to move south. For breeding, they choose large and durable ice floes, on which "child deposits" are created, which can stretch for tens of kilometers. The number of animals in such "colonies" totals tens of thousands of individuals. Pregnancy of seals lasts eleven and a half months. I must say that ice is a reliable antiseptic: very low temperatures do not allow microbes to develop. The birth of babies occurs from January to April. The bulk of the cubs appears from February 20th to March 5th.
Green seal
The newborn seal baby got its name (or rather, one of them) due to the color of its fur coat. The puppy's body is covered with a thick, long coat of white color with a greenish tint. Hence the name "Zelenets" came from. At birth, it weighs 8-10 kilograms, and reaches a length of 92 centimeters.
Belek Seal
The greenish tint does not last long. By the way, it is formed under the influence of amniotic fluid in the womb. Five days later, he disappears completely, and the cub of the seal, whose photo you see in this article, turns into a charming creature of an absolutely white color. At this time, he is very dependent on his mother. A female seal feeds its cub every four to five hours. Her milk is very oily (up to fifty percent fat). Thanks to this, the baby gains up to three kilograms of weight daily. During this period, the calf seal is very defenseless. What is it called at this time? Of course, belek.
Features of the seal
The huge eyes of the squirrel are constantly watering, so it seems that the animal is crying. But this is a natural process of moisturizing the eyes. Belek, the baby of the seal, is constantly trembling. This is due to the regulation of heat in his body. He has not yet formed a fatty layer, as in an adult animal. The coat's hair consists of transparent hollow hairs that transmit sunlight well onto black skin, thereby warming it.
Existing Misconceptions
For a long time, researchers of these animals believed that a female, who needs to go away from time to time in search of food for herself, finds a squirrel in her voice. This is not true. The baby seal has an individual smell, due to which the mother finds it.
It was believed that the calf seal (whose name is belek), which was once stroked by a person, will forever remain an “orphan”. The female will no longer fit him. This is not true. If you happen to be at the North Pole, you can pet these charming animals as much as you like, but you need to do this with gloves on, as they react very negatively to a human hand that is too “hot” for them.
And one more tip. Stroking the squirrel and playing with it, do not block it from the mother - having lost the calf from sight, it can rush to the attack.
Hohlush seal
In the third week of life, the squirrel begins to molt. Under his sumptuous white fur, a silver skin becomes visible. A week of such a calf seal is called hohlusha.
Serka - seal cub
When the seal is one month old, the animal’s fur changes again. It turns into a hard and short hairline common for these mammals. The fur is gray and darker on the back. There are dark, almost black spots. During this period, the calf seal is called a cirque.
Enemy of seals
The most terrible and merciless enemy of seals is the polar bear. At the end of a harsh and hungry winter, the seal pup is excellent prey for him. The female usually does not protect the squirrel - what can she contrast the hungry and furious predator in his native element? If the ceiling is more than a meter above the snow hole, then it is difficult for the bear to find shelter, but if the hole is found, then the squirrel is doomed to death.
Seal hunting
Up to two thousand and nine, our country was the only one in the world where it was allowed to hunt squirrels. Moreover, Russia is also the main importer of seal fur products. Usually this is the fur of more adult individuals - serks.
Animal protection
The very first organization to stand up for the protection of protein was the IFAW International Fund. It was to protect these charming animals with valuable fur that this organization was created. The foundation extends its work to Canada and Russia. Many famous people of the planet joined his work. Brigitte Bardot organized a demonstration at the Norwegian Embassy in 1977. Then, the French president banned the import into the country of products from fur. Therefore, it is rightly believed that France is the first country to introduce special prohibitive measures aimed at protecting these animals. Later, Paul McCartney joined the defenders. He flew to Canada, to the slaughter places of squirrels, and held several charity events.
