Today it is safe to say that if the seal, due to a number of serious circumstances, died as a species in the process of evolution, then the planet Earth would become much poorer. Why? We will try to answer the question in this article.
After reading it, it will be possible to find out information about what the animal of the seal is, what is its value, what features it has, etc.
general information
The common name for aquatic mammals of the family of true seals (Caspian, ringed and Baikal) is the seal.
Sea seal in Russia is distributed from the coast of Murmansk to the Bering Strait, including in the waters of Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, the White Sea, and the Novosibirsk Islands. It inhabits the coastal parts of the Sea of Okhotsk, including its many bays, as well as the coasts of the Tatar Strait, Sakhalin Gulf and East Sakhalin. The seal habitat reaches the shores of the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Also there are seals living in a reservoir with fresh water. For example, the famous Russian lake Baikal is known all over the world not only because it is the deepest and most beautiful lake. Its waters are inhabited by unique animals, which are nowhere else in such reservoirs. It is a seal that is endemic and a relic of the tertiary fauna. It is called the Baikal seal.
Description
Who are the seals? These amazing mammals have a spindle-shaped body that smoothly passes into the head.
In growth, they reach 165 cm, and their weight is from 50 to 130 kg. The body of the animal contains a huge amount of subcutaneous fat, which perfectly retains heat in cold water and helps the animal to wait for large periods of food shortage, and also to stay on the water surface during sleep. They sleep so soundly that there were even cases when scuba divers could turn them over without disturbing their sleep.
Strong skin of the animal is covered with a hard, dense and short hairline. Between the fingers they have membranes, and the front flippers are equipped with powerful claws. It is thanks to the forelimbs that seals make an outlet in the ice in order to go out and relax on the rocks or on ice after hunting, and also to breathe in fresh air.
Nerpa has a phenomenal ability to be under water continuously for up to 40 minutes. This is due to the presence of a small volume of lungs and the content of dissolved oxygen in the blood. Thanks to the hind legs, the animal swims quite quickly under water, but on its surface it is completely clumsy and awkward.
Seals on Baikal
In the past, the Baikal seal was an animal quite revered, especially among nationalities engaged in most sea hunting. Even now, some Orochs put wild garlic and tobacco in the mouth of the seal they got, because this is for them a kind of sacrifice to Tam, to whom the seal has the most direct relation, because he is the master of the sea element.
In the old days, fishing for the Baikal seal was of great economic importance in the life of the local population, the production of these animals was strictly limited. Compared to the skins of other species of seals, their fur (both young and adult) is the best fur raw material, which is why they are more valued.
The habitat of Baikal seals
In the summer (in June) the shores of the Ushkany Islands are fond of a large number of these animals - the islands for them are a cozy natural rookery. At sunset, seals begin their mass movement to the islands.
During the period of severe frosts in Siberia, the lake completely freezes. Before the onset of cold weather, seal with their teeth and forepaws with sharp claws tear out respiratory holes for themselves. Usually, in winter, pregnant females spend most of the time on the surface of a frozen lake.
About industrial mining
Nerpa is an animal that contains large amounts of magnificent fat, which has some useful medical properties. The fishing for seals today, like hundreds of years ago, has the same goals.
Animal fat is effectively used by many people in the treatment of certain diseases associated with hypothermia (inflammation, frostbite), and its meat is used as food for vitamin C deficiency (in particular, scurvy).
Nevertheless, the main reasons for large-scale industrial production are the most valuable animal skins. Headwear and clothing made of thick and dense fur with a durable skin are widely popular among residents of the North and in more southern regions.
Breeding
The seal seal usually appears in mid-March. After the end of winter, the female crawls out of the water onto the ice to give birth to babies. But first, females build a den in the snow for their future pets.
Unfortunately, it is during this period of the seals that the greatest danger is threatened - becoming easy prey for numerous poachers and hunters. Basically, one baby is born in seals, but maybe two, and even more.
The weight of newborns, as a rule, is about 4 kilograms. They are born with very beautiful snow-white skins, providing them with warmth and the most reliable camouflage in the snow.
After molting, the young seal is overgrown with silver fur.
Life span
Seal growth, both in length and in weight, occurs for a long time (up to 20 years). Some animals die "immature", as their average age in the population is only 8-9 years. There are cases that some seals live up to 40-60 years, but there are very few of them. About half of all individuals are young seals of about 5 years of age. More adult animals (6-16 years old) make up the majority of the other half of seals.
Nerpa is an unusual animal in the sense that scientists have learned to determine its age by fangs or claws, on which you can see annual rings, similar to those found on a tree cut.
Food
The basis of the nutrition of the sea seal is fish and crustaceans, moreover, forming large clusters in the upper layers of the water.
Favorite food of the Baikal seal is the Baikal goby and the golomyanka. Over a year, this animal consumes more than a ton of such food. Rarely, omul, which makes up about 3% of his daily diet, also enters his food.
