Sealmammal

Seal a general name (in many cases with an epithet) for any of the Pinnipedia or Fin-footed Carnivora, with the exception of the Walrus (q.v.). All are aquatic and nearly all marine, but some enter large rivers, and two species are found in inland lakes. The limbs bear five digits modified to the extremities by a strong web, and are modified to form powerful swimming organs. The tail is always short. Seals are widely distributed, but are most abundant in the cold and temperate regions of the northern and southern hemispheres. They feed on fish, crustaceans, and molluscs. There are two families - the Otariidae or Eared Seals, forming a connecting-link between the Land Carnivora and the Phocidae or True Seals. In the first family there is a small external ear, and on land the hind limbs are directed forward, thus acting as supports for the body while in the True Seals they are directed backward. The palms and soles of the Eared Seals are naked; those of the True Seals are covered with hair. The Eared Seals are natives of the North Pacific and the South Atlantic coasts, the Cape of Good Hope, Australia, and some of the neighbouring islands. They are popularly known as Sea-bears and Sea-lions, according as they do, or do not, possess the close under-fur which forms the "seal-skin" of commerce. These animals form herds. The males are always much larger than the females, and are polygamous. They are now usually grouped in one genus Otaria), though formerly broken up into several genera. Of the Sea-lions, sometimes called Hair-seals to distinguish them from the Sea-bears or Fur~seals, the best-known and the largest is the Northern Sea-lion (0. stelleri) from the North Pacific. The Patagonian Sea lion (O. jubata) was first brought alive to Europe in 1866. A French sailor named Lecomte secured a specimen and sold it to the Zoological Society. When this animal died, Lecomte went out to the Falkland Islands for other specimens, one only of which arrived safely. This animal exhibited great docility and inte1ligence, and was taught some amusing tricks by its keeper. The Californian Sea-lion (O. californiana) has frequently been brought to Europe. The Fur-seal or Common Sea-bear of the North Pacific (O. ursina) has its chief home in the Prybiloff Islands, where it breeds. The adult male is from 6 to 7 feet long, and the female about 4 feet. The breeding-places are known as "rookeries;" the "bulls" come on shore about the end of May or the beginning of June, and the mating commences as soon as the females arrive, each bull securing as many mates as he can. By the middle of September the young have learned to swim, and the rookery is deserted till the following breeding season. The Prybiloff Islands were acquired by America from Russia in 1870, and the assumption of sovereign rights over the Behring Sea by the United States Government gave rise to complications with this country, which were settled by the Convention of 1893. By this convention the take of seals was regulated; but killing in open sea prevails to such an extent that it is probable that in the near future the northern Fur-seal will be as scarce as its southern congener (O. pusilla), the Cape Fur-seal, which is said to be on the verge of extinction. The True Seals constitute the family Phocidae, and are much more aquatic than the Eared Seals. On land their hind-limbs afford them no assistance, and their progression is a series of jumps, aided in some cases, to a small extent, by the forelimbs. The Common Seal (Phoca vitulina) is found on the European and American shores of the Atlantic and in the North Pacific. Round the British and Irish coasts it is fairly common "in all suitable localities, from which it has not been driven away by the molestations of man." The usual length is from 4 to 5 feet; greyish-yellow in colour, with dark spots, on the upper surface, and lighter below. To the same genus belong the Harp Seal (P. graenlandica), the Ringed Seal (P. hispida), the Bearded Seal (P. barbata), and the Seals of the Caspian and Aral Sea P. caspica) and Lake Baikal (P. sibirica). Most of them are hunted for the sake of their blubber (which yields a valuable oil), and Sir W. Flower puts the take of Greenland Seals by the Scotch, Dutch, and Norwegian sealing vessels at 200,000 annually. The Grey Seal (Halichaerus grypus), larger than the Common Seal, seems to be confined to the North Atlantic, and occurs on the British coasts. The Danes are trying to exterminate this species on account of the harm it does to their fisheries. The Monk Seals (Monachus) inhabit the warmer seas. One species (M. albiventer) is Mediterranean, and M. tropicalis West Indian. The Common Sea-leopard (Ogmorhinus leptonyx) and Weddell's Sea-leopard (Praecilophoca weddelli) inhabit sonthern temperate seas and the antarctic regions. The Hooded or Bladder-nosed Seal (Cystophora cristata), a native of the Polar seas, is remarkable for a dilatable sac on the face of the male, which can be inflated at will, and then extends backwards, covering the upper part of the head. The Elephant Seal (Macrorrhinus leoninus), from southern seas and the coast of California, is the largest of the family, adult males being nearly 20 feet in length, while the females are much smaller. In other genera there is little difference in the sexes in point of size. The full-grown males, have the snout produced into a kind of trunk, which can be dilated and extended at pleasure. This animal is hunted for its blubber and skin.