Sea lions are often called the puppies of the sea, but why? Sure, their faces have a vaguely similar snout, and they are quite cute.
Sea Lions- the dogs of the ocean.
A baby seal is called a pup!
The young seal is now on their own to learn to swim and how to catch food to survive. Many young seals lose around half their body weight while they're in the process of learning how to hunt for themselves.
Seals belong to the Caniformia suborder of the order Carnivora. They're actually more closely related to bears than to dogs, but they're more closely related to dogs than to, say, cats or hyenas, and much more closely related to dogs than they are to, say, whales or manatees.
Furry faces
Both dogs and seals are covered in fur that makes them soft and cuddly to the touch. The farther up north you go, the more fur the seals have—in the Arctic, for example, you'll find varieties like the harp seal whose thick white coat makes them look almost like a canine in disguise.
“Dogs and seals are not in the same family, however, and are not closely related. The family that compromises seals, Pinnipedia, split from other caniforms around 50 million years ago.”
Seals appear to be appealing and friendly, which they are indeed. Most zoos and marine attractions showcase seals as trainable, intelligent, and friendly to humans. They can be taught to perform shows and provide entertainment to humans.
Seals have an appealing, perhaps adorable presence and appearance. Like the Assateague ponies, one can't help but want to get closer and even touch or feed them. But such human contact does more harm than good. Like our cherished Assateague ponies, seals are large wild animals and can be extremely dangerous.
Sea lions (left) are brown, bark loudly, "walk" on land using their large flippers and have visible ear flaps. Seals have small flippers, wriggle on their bellies on land, and lack visible ear flaps.
Caniformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "dog-like" carnivorans. They include dogs (wolves, foxes, etc.), bears, raccoons, and mustelids. The Pinnipedia (seals, walruses and sea lions) are also assigned to this group.
A large group of seals during breeding is called a harem. Adult males are called bulls and females are called cows, while a young seal is a pup.
They probably do this to keep their head and flippers high and dry (and therefore warm). Seals are well insulated with a thick layer of fat, with the exception of their head and flippers.
Lifespan & Reproduction
Gray seals live for 25 to 35 years. They gather in large groups to mate. Males that breed on land can mate with many different females in a single breeding season.
Sir Francis Drake was one of the most successful Sea Dogs of all time.
Sir Francis Drake. Born in Crowndale, near Tavistock in Devon c. 1540, Francis Drake was one of the most profitable and successful Sea Dogs of all time. The eldest of 12 children, in 1563 Drake made his first voyage to the Americas, sailing with his cousin John Hawkins.
The anglerfish is the queen of the ocean's deep. With their sharp, translucent teeth and bioluminescent lures, female anglerfish are some of the most intimidating fish in the sea.
Australian Sea lions are nicknamed the Sea puppies because of their playful and joyful behaviour, and their big eyes. Look at that face! they are classified as endangered on the IUCN red list.
Seal pupping season occurs during spring and summer, a peak time for boaters and beach goers. Each year people find baby seals, commonly known as seal pups, on shore and pick them up thinking they have been abandoned.
Always let seals make the first move – let them approach you. Sit back, wait quietly and observe. Aim to stay calm and move slowly to avoid spooking the seals and provoking a startled response. Be confident that seals are usually gentle creatures unless they feel threatened.
Under the EPBC Act all seals and sea lions occurring within Australian waters are listed as marine species ( EPBC Act 1999; section 248). It is an offence to kill, injure, take, trade, keep, or move any member of a listed marine species on Australian Government land or in Commonwealth waters without a permit.
Seals are large, powerful animals with sharp teeth and strong jaws, and will bite if they feel threatened. In humans, if a seal bite were to become infected by the bacteria Mycoplasma phocacerebrale, it can lead to a painful infectious disease known as “seal finger” as well as other complications.
So it turns out seals are avid (and somewhat aggressive) cuddle monsters. As shown by a San Diego seal in particular, seals don't seem to discriminate with whom they choose for snuggle partners.
Seals have also been shown to h ave a short-term memory of approximately 18-seconds, demonstrated by a study conducted by the University of Southern Denmark in which capture animals were trained on a specific action, then were trained to respond to the cue “repeat” by repeating the previous action they just performed ...
Scuba diver Jason Neilus went out to England's Farne Islands, with a GoPro camera to answer a very important, scientific question: do seals love belly rubs? The surprising answer as documented in this video from GoPro: Yes! Yes, they do!