Weddell seals
HABITATS
Preferring in-shore habitats, Weddell seals emerge through breathing holes early in the Antarctic spring onto the huge sheets of pack ice and fast ice that is attached to land, to rest or give birth. Weddell seals are found in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters. They spend their winter under the Antarctic Sea ice to breathe through air holes that they have created and they can be found in large groups on fast packs of ice. Weddell seals live further south than any other mammal and is 800 miles from the north pole.
MAIN CHARACTERISTICS
Main Characteristics of Weddell Seals are that they are placid animals that have a body length between 2.5-2.9m long and they weigh between 400-600 kilos. They are silver/grey in colour and they have short dense fur that protects them from water temperatures as low as -2 degrees celsius. Their body is large and bulky, and they have a small head and flippers. They have a short, blunt muzzle and a few short whiskers. Their canine teeth are strong and sharp, and they use them to bite breathing holes in the ice. Due to this, they wear their teeth down extensively and when they reach a certain level of their teeth that they have worn out, they can no longer hunt for their food so they starve to death. Weddell Seals have excellent eye sight and they can dive to depths of over 600m for a period of over 1 hour. Weddell Seals make a variety of calls and sounds in order to communicate.
HUNTING TECHNIQUES AND DIET
Weddel Seals mainly feed upon fish, squid and krill. They sometimes blow air bubbles into cracks in the ice to flush out potential prey. They do this mainly during the night to feed and they can remain submerged for so long because they have the ability to collapse their lungs and lower their breathing rate.
PREDATORS
The main predator of Weddell Seals are humans because of poaching.
LIFE SPANS
Weddell Seals live for 20 years in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters.
Preferring in-shore habitats, Weddell seals emerge through breathing holes early in the Antarctic spring onto the huge sheets of pack ice and fast ice that is attached to land, to rest or give birth. Weddell seals are found in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters. They spend their winter under the Antarctic Sea ice to breathe through air holes that they have created and they can be found in large groups on fast packs of ice. Weddell seals live further south than any other mammal and is 800 miles from the north pole.
MAIN CHARACTERISTICS
Main Characteristics of Weddell Seals are that they are placid animals that have a body length between 2.5-2.9m long and they weigh between 400-600 kilos. They are silver/grey in colour and they have short dense fur that protects them from water temperatures as low as -2 degrees celsius. Their body is large and bulky, and they have a small head and flippers. They have a short, blunt muzzle and a few short whiskers. Their canine teeth are strong and sharp, and they use them to bite breathing holes in the ice. Due to this, they wear their teeth down extensively and when they reach a certain level of their teeth that they have worn out, they can no longer hunt for their food so they starve to death. Weddell Seals have excellent eye sight and they can dive to depths of over 600m for a period of over 1 hour. Weddell Seals make a variety of calls and sounds in order to communicate.
HUNTING TECHNIQUES AND DIET
Weddel Seals mainly feed upon fish, squid and krill. They sometimes blow air bubbles into cracks in the ice to flush out potential prey. They do this mainly during the night to feed and they can remain submerged for so long because they have the ability to collapse their lungs and lower their breathing rate.
PREDATORS
The main predator of Weddell Seals are humans because of poaching.
LIFE SPANS
Weddell Seals live for 20 years in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters.