Common Seal Physical Description Habitat And Diet

Common or Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) are true seals of the Northern Hemisphere. Having the widest range of all pinnipeds, Common Seals are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as those of the Baltic and North SeaThe North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. A bay of the North Sea is Skagerrak, bets.

With an estimated 400,000-500,000 individuals, the total population of Common Seals is not threatened as a whole. Local populations have been reduced or eliminated through outbreaks of disease and conflict with humanHuman beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. Biologically, they are classified as Homo sapiens ( Latin for knowing man , a primate species of mammal with a highly developed brain. In spirituas, both unintentionally and intentionally. While it is legal to kill seals which are perceived to threaten fisherieslobster boat unloading its catch in Ilfracombe harbour, North Devon, England A fishery (plural: fisheries) is an organized effort by humans to catch fish or other aquatic species, an activity known as fishing. Generally, a fishery exists for the purpose o in the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly, NorwayThe Kingdom of Norway is a Nordic country west of Sweden on the Scandinavian Peninsula. It has a very elongated form and has an extensive coastline along the North Atlantic Ocean, where Norway's famous fjords are found. In addition to Sweden, it borders R and CanadaCanada historically the Dominion of Canada is the second-largest, and northernmost, country in the world. It is a decentralized federation of 10 provinces and 3 territories, governed as a constitutional monarchy, and formed in 1867 through an act of Confe, commercial hunting is illegal; the seals are also taken in subsistence hunting and accidentally as bycatch in fishing nets.

1 Physical description

With each individual possessing a unique pattern of fine, dark spots, Common Seals vary in colour from brownish black to tan or grey; underparts are generally lighter. The body and flippers are short, with a proportionately large, rounded head. The nostrils appear distinctively V-shaped; as with other true seals, the ears are not visible.

Including the head and flippers, Common Seals may reach an adult length of c. 185 centimetres and a weight of 130 kilograms. Females are smaller than males.

2 Habitat and diet

Characterized as being habitual in their choice of resting sites, Common Seals may spend several days at sea and travel up to 50 kilometres in search of feeding grounds. Resting sites may be both rugged, rocky coast such as that of the HebridesThis article is about the Hebrides islands in Scotland. See also the New Hebrides for the islands constituting Vanuatu. The Hebrides are a spread-out and diverse group of islands off the west coast of Scotland, and in geological terms are composed of the, or sandy intertidal zones; some seals may also enter estuariesAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with the open sea and within which sea water mixes with fresh water. The key feature of an estuary is that it is an interface between sea water and fresh water and there is an. The seals frequently choose to congregate in harbours, lending the animals their other common name.

The feeing habits of Common Seals has not been studied closely; they are known to prey primarily upon fish such as Menhaden, sea bass, herring, whiting and flatfish, and occasionally upon shrimp and squid. Common Seals are thought able to remain submerged for up to 10 minutes, reaching depths of 50 metres or more.

3 Behaviour and reproduction

While not forming groups as large as most other pinnipeds, Common Seals are gregarious animals. When not actively feeding, the seals will haul themselves out of the water and onto a preferred resting site. The seals tend to hug the coast, not venturing more than 20 kilometres offshore. Both courtship and mating occurs underwater.

Birthing of pups occurs annually on shore, beginning in February for populations in lower latitudes, and as late as July in the subarctic zone. The mothers are the sole providers of care; males occupy themselves with fights between other males. The pups are born singly and well developed, capable of swimming and diving within hours. Suckling for 3-4 weeks, pups feed on the mothers' rich milk and grow rapidly; born weighing up to 16 kilograms, the pups may double their weight by the time of weaning.

Common Seals expend a great deal of time on shore whilst moulting, which the seals undergo shortly after breeding. A female will mate again immediately following the weaning of her pup.

Pinnipeds

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1 Physical description

2 Habitat and diet

3 Behaviour and reproduction

Topics: Common Seal, Physical Description, Habitat And Diet...