Seals

Seals live around the world in many climates, but the food-rich waters of the Arctic form one of their prime habitats. Among the common Arctic species preyed upon by polar bears are ringed seals, harbor seals, and bearded seals, the three species represented at the Detroit Zoo.

Seals belong to a larger group of animals called "pinnipeds," which means "fin-foot." Other pinnipeds include sea lions and walruses. Walruses are easy to distinguish from the others, with their huge size and tusks, but telling seals and sea lions apart is harder. The keys: seals have no external ears, and their flippers are almost useless on land, while sea lions have ear flaps and are fairly agile on the beach.

All pinnipeds share several adaptations to their sea-going lifestyle, including legs modified into flippers and a thick layer of insulating blubber under their skins. Because they are mammals, not fish, they have to come to the surface of the water to breathe; some species can dive to 1,000 feet deep and stay underwater for up to 30 minutes!

Mother seals have one baby per year. Some species mate at sea; others gather in large colonies called rookeries, often on islands, where the males fight to accumulate harems of females. Birth takes place on land or on floes of pack ice. The babies grow rapidly on a diet of high-calorie milk (up to 40% fat!).