What animal is a seal?

Chinese name: Seal

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrates< /p>

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Pinnipeda

Family: Seal

Genus: 13 genera

Species: 18 species

Distribution area: throughout the entire sea area, with the largest number along the Antarctic coast

Seals have a thick, round body in the shape of a spindle Shape, weight 20-30 kg. The whole body is covered with short hair, the back is blue-gray, and the belly is creamy yellow with blue-black spots. The head is nearly round, the eyes are large and round, without external auricles, the snout is short and wide, and the tentacles on the upper lip are long, thick and in the shape of a rosary. Each limb has 5 toes, and there are webs between the toes, forming flippers with sharp claws. The hind flippers are large and extend backward, and the tail is short and flat. The color of the coat changes with age: the color of young animals is darker, and the color of adults is lighter.

Seals are carnivorous marine animals and mammals (viviparous). Their bodies are streamlined and their limbs turn into fins, making them suitable for swimming. Seals have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat that keeps them warm, provides food reserves, and creates buoyancy. Seals spend most of their time in the sea and only come to live on land or ice when they shed their hair and reproduce. Seals are distributed all over the world, and are particularly abundant in cold polar waters. Their food is mainly fish and shellfish. Sea lions and walruses are close relatives of seals. They have ear shells and their hind limbs can turn forward to support their bodies.

A seal's front feet are shorter than its hind feet, and its hairy flippers have nails with five toes. The ears become extremely small or degenerate into only two holes, which can be opened and closed freely when swimming. It mostly relies on its hind legs when swimming, but its hind legs cannot bend forward. Its heels have degenerated, unlike sea lions and fur seals, and it cannot walk. Therefore, when it moves on land, it always drags its cumbersome hind limbs, bends its body, and crawls. Leaving a line of twisted marks on the ground. Mainly distributed around the Arctic and Antarctic and in temperate or tropical oceans, 10 genera and 19 species are currently known. Seals are distributed all over the world and are found in cold polar seas. Antarctic seals live in the Antarctic ice source because their numbers are small. Antarctic seals have been listed as an internationally protected animal.

There are 18 species of seals in the world, 7 species in the Arctic and 4 species in the Antarctic. But in terms of numbers, there are not as many Arctic seals as there are in Antarctica. All seals in the world have a spindle-shaped body, suitable for swimming, and a round head, which looks like a domestic dog. There are many existing species of seals in the world's oceans, including 13 genera and 18 species. The Antarctic has the largest number, followed by the Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic, North Pacific and other places.