Nerpa Baikal description for children. Why does the seal not breathe under water and why does it need a sanatorium. In the photo the cub of the Baikal seal
The deepest and uniquely beautiful lake in the world is Baikal. It is there that you can meet unique animals that are no longer found anywhere - Baikal, endemic, relics of the Tertiary fauna.
Baikal sealit belongs to the seal family and forms a separate species. This is the only mammal on Lake Baikal. For the first time they heard and described this wonderful animal during the Bering expedition.
The team included various scientists, including those directly involved in the study of the nature of the Baikal region. It was from them that the first detailed seal descriptions.
The pinniped on Baikal is a rather unique phenomenon. After all, it is customary to think that seals are indigenous to the Arctic and Antarctic. How did it happen that these animals came to Eastern Siberia is still a mystery to all.
Pictured Baikal seal
But the fact remains, and this phenomenon makes Lake Baikal even more mysterious and unusual. On the photo of the Baikal sealyou can watch endlessly. Its impressive size and some kind of childish expression of the face seem slightly incompatible.
Features and habitat of the Baikal seal
This is a fairly large animal, with an almost human height of 1.65 cm, and weighing from 50 to 130 kg. The animal is everywhere covered with a thick and hard hairline. It is not only in the eyes and nostrils. It is even on the fins of the animal. Seal furmostly gray or taupe with a beautiful silver tint. Most often, the lower part of her body is lighter than the upper.
Seal animalswims without any problems thanks to the membranes on her fingers. Strong claws are clearly visible on the front legs. On their hind legs they are slightly smaller. The neck of the seal is practically absent.
Females are always slightly larger than males. In the eyes of the seal there is a third eyelid. After a long time in the air, her eyes begin to involuntarily watery. In the body of the animal there is simply a huge amount of body fat.
The fat layer of the seal is about 10-15 cm. The least fat is in the region of the head and forepaws. Fat helps the animal not freeze in cold water. Also, with this fat seal, it is easy to survive difficult periods of lack of food. Subcutaneous baikal seal fathelps her to lie on the surface of the water for a long time.
The Baikal seal has a very good sleep
In this position, she can even sleep. Their envy is very strong. There were cases when scuba divers turned these sleeping animals, but they did not even wake up at the same time. Baikal seal of a seallives purely on Lake Baikal.
True, exceptions and seals happen in the Angara. In the winter season, they spend almost all their time in the underwater kingdom of the lake and only in rare cases can appear on its surface.
In order to have enough oxygen under water, seals make small holes with the help of their sharp claws on the ice. The usual sizes of such holes are from 40 to 50 cm. The deeper the funnel, the wider it is.
Baikal seal under water
The end of the winter period for this pinniped is characterized by access to the ice. In the first summer month, a huge accumulation of these animals is observed in the region of the shores of the Ushkany Islands.
It is there that the real rookery of seals is located. As soon as the sun sets in the sky, these animals begin to move together to the islands. After the ice floes disappear from the lake, the seals try to stay close to the coastal zone.
The nature and lifestyle of the Baikal seal
It is interesting in the seal that while it is under water, its nostrils and openings in the ears are closed with a special valve. When the animal emerges and exhales air, pressure occurs and the valves open.
The animal has excellent hearing, perfect vision and excellent sense of smell. The speed of the seal in the water reaches approximately 25 km / h. After the ice is cracked on Lake Baikal, and this occurs in the March-May months, molting begins at the seal. At this time, the animal is starving and does not need water. The seal does not eat anything at this time, it has enough fat reserves for life.
This is a very energetic, curious, but at the same time cautious animal. It can observe a person from water for a long time, plunging into it completely and leaving only his head on the surface. As soon as the nerpa realizes that she was seen from her observation post, she immediately, without the slightest bursts and unnecessary noise, quietly plunges into the water.
This animal is easy to train. They become literally the favorites of the public. There is not one show of Baikal seals,which is enjoyed with great pleasure by both adults and children.
Baikal seals show participants
The Baikal seal has no enemies except humans. In the last century, people were engaged in the extraction of seals very intensively. It was a huge industrial scale. Literally everything that this animal consists of has been used. Fat seals were seasoned with special lamps in the mines, meat was eaten, and taiga hunters especially appreciated the hide.
It was used to make high-quality and high-speed skis. Such skis differed from the usual ones in that they could never ride back on any steep slope. It got to the point that the animal was becoming smaller and smaller. Therefore, in 1980, a unanimous decision was made to save him, and baikal sealwas recorded in Red book.
In the photo the cub of the Baikal seal
Baikal seal feeding
Favorite food of seals are the cephalopods and Baikal gobies. In a year, this animal can eat more than a ton of such food. Rarely, omul can be found in their diet. This fish makes up 1-2% of the animal’s daily food. There are baseless rumors that seals destroy entire populations of Baikal omul. This is actually not the case. He comes across the seal in food, but very rarely.
Reproduction and life expectancy of the Baikal seal
The end of the winter period in the Baikal seal is associated with the reproductive process. Their puberty occurs at the age of four. The female pregnancy lasts 11 months. She crawls out on the ice in order to give birth to babies. It is during this period that the seals are most at risk from hunters and poachers.
Cubs of Baikal seals are born white, therefore they are often called "squirrels"
In order to at least somehow protect themselves from these potential enemies and from the harsh spring weather conditions, seals build special dens. This dwelling is connected to water so that the female could defend herself at any moment and protect her offspring from possible danger.
Somewhere in mid-March, the baby of the Baikal seal is born. Most often, the female has one, rarely two, and even less often three. The weight of the little one is about 4 kg. For about 3-4 months, the baby is fed breast milk.
He is dressed in a beautiful snow-white fur coat, thanks to which they are perfectly disguised in snowdrifts. Some time passes and after molting, the babies acquire their natural gray shade of fur with silver, characteristic of their appearance. Fathers do not take any part in their upbringing.
Seal growth lasts a very long time. They grow up to 20 years. It happens that some individuals, not growing to their normal size, die. After all, the average life expectancy of the Baikal seal is about 8-9 years.
Although scientists have noticed that this animal can live for a long time - up to 60 years. But for many reasons and due to some external factors, there are very few such centenarians among seals, you can say a few. Most of these animals are seals. young generation at the age of 5 years. The age of seals can easily be determined by their fangs and claws.
Breathes air, feeds cubs with milk, and eats fish. Miracle Judo? Of course not, but the most highly developed animal of the representatives of the Baikal fauna is the Baikal seal.
Uniqueness in everything
The uniqueness of the Baikal seal is that it is the only mammal that lives on. Belongs to the family. A fairly large mammal, the body length reaches up to 140cm, and the weight reaches a full 90 kg. Males are always larger and heavier than females. Even a newborn baby is particularly weighty, at birth it weighs about 3 kilograms.
The color is rather monotonous light gray on the back, closer to the belly, the transition to yellow begins. Such a dull at first glance color perfectly masks seals. In nature, she has no natural enemies, the only one who preys on her is man.
The seal skin is considered the warmest and most practical, so fishermen catch this animal. The indigenous inhabitants of Transbaikalia are happy to use the meat of seals obtained as food.
Nature and biology create excellence
The seal has very powerful paws crowned with strong nails, which allows it to tear a thin piece of ice in the winter in order to breathe oxygen. The constant presence under water at dusk formed a certain structure of the eyes, it has rather convex eyes, which allows the seal to easily get its own food. The seal can be under water for up to an hour, holding its breath for this period, it is an amazing swimmer, due to the increased concentration of hemoglobin, it can dive up to 300 meters in depth.
Its natural habitat is water depths, despite its impressive dimensions it is very maneuverable and agile in water, under water it can reach speeds of up to 25 km / h. But, like all seals, they are completely slow on land, in moments of danger being on the shore can go on horse racing, which looks pretty funny.
Seals are beautiful and graceful animals. The favorite food of the seal is the small and large golomyanki, the long-winged goby, the yellow-winged goby, and the sandy broad-headed. Golomyanki occupy the main step in the nutrition of seals. Nerpa eats from 3 to 5 kg of fish per day. And it takes 2-3 hours to digest food in the stomach.
The mystery of birth or where the seals come from
Females after 4 years of life are ready for mating and reproduction of offspring, but males are slightly behind and mature a couple of years later. Mating season seals last from late March to late April. At this time, the males make every effort to invite the female to the ice to mate. And if successful, after 11 months a small seal will be born. A natural feature is the delay of pregnancy for 2-3 months, that is, a fertilized egg can be in the stage of fading, and only after this period the pregnancy in the female will begin to develop.
It is the female who takes care of the place of future birth for her cubs, usually this is a den in the snow, as the cubs appear in winter. After the birth of the baby, the seal mother will feed him milk for 3 months. Toddler seals are born completely dependent on their mother, their skin is painted white. During the period of feeding, the mother will only go fishing for her food, the rest of the time the female spends with the babies. When it is in the den, the temperature there rises to +5, although outside it the temperature can drop to -15.
Nerpa lives in the water. The seal has no gills. The question is how does a seal breathe in winter under the ice?
As a child, I thought that seals swim in the warm seas for the winter. Then he learned that they had been supporting the vents throughout the winter, through which they breathed. Chukchi and Eskimos (always always, now very rarely) went to the sea with specially trained dogs to look for these very holes-outlets for hunting seals.
2.
It is extremely difficult to see such a hole, despite the fact that the hole itself is 50 cm in diameter or more. A snow-ice dome rises above the hole, which reliably hides the exit from both animals and frost and snow. In the Anadyr estuary there is also a seal. But here’s what my dog \u200b\u200bLoki turned out to be, a dog-lover, I found out only this Sunday, when I went skiing to Cape Tolstoy. The dog found four holes-vents while we reached the cape. The hole is so well camouflaged that you can walk alongside it, or even not see it. The seal emits a den, which oozes through a small hole in the "dome" above the hole. And the smell in the hole is by no means fresh cucumbers, as near the holes of the Anadyr fishermen.
3. The dome on the hole
4. Found a hole!
5. In some vents, seals arrange birth beds. Under the snow, they dig out entire labyrinths of tunnels.
6. Inside the hole
7.
8. Literally a few meters from the hole snowmobile track
Pinniped family
Seals - a family of mammals belonging to the order of pinnipeds (Pinnipedia). Seals are representatives of the families of Steller sea lions, or eared seals (Otariidae) and seals, or real seals (Phocidae). The family of eared seals is represented by two species - seals and lions.
Depending on breed and habitat, family real seals are divided into many genera, species and subspecies. Consider several genera and species of real seals living in the CIS:
Genus Common Seals (Phoca)
Common or spotted seal or common seal (Phoca vitulina)
Larga, or mottled seal (Phoca larga)
Ringed seal, or ringed seal, or akiba (Phoca hispida)
Baikal seal (Phoca sibirica; synonym Pusa sibirica)
Caspian seal, or Caspian seal (Phoca caspica; synonym Pusa caspica)
Striped seal or lionfish (Phoca fasciata; synonym Histriophoca fasciata)
Harp seal, or bald (Phoca groenlandica; synonym Pagophilus groenlandicus)
Genus Longmouth, or Gray, Seals (Halichoerus)
Long-mouthed, or gray seal, or tevak (Halichoerus grypus)
Genus Khokhlachi Seals (Cystophora)
Crested seal, or white-bellied seal (Cystophora cristata)
Monk Seal genus (Monachus)
Monk Seal (Monachus monachus)
Genus Hare (Erignathus)
Sea hare, or lahtak (Erignathus barbatus)
In both groups, both pairs of limbs are transformed into flippers, limbs with membranes between the fingers, armed with claws. The back flippers are directed backwards and serve for swimming. For eared seals, the forelimbs are used for movement in the water, while the hind seals serve as rudders in the water, and on land they bend forward and support the massive body.
Seals are well adapted to the aquatic lifestyle and tolerate low temperatures, due to their habitat in harsh Arctic conditions. All their lives they spend among ice and snow in the cold Arctic waters. A thick layer of subcutaneous fat assumes the main thermoregulatory function, which reduces the specific gravity of the body and facilitates swimming.
Harbor seal
Harbor seal (lat. Phoca vitulina Linnaeus) - a representative of the family of true seals. Two subspecies are found in the Red Book - the European subspecies and the Steineger seal or the island seal. Some subspecies are threatened with extinction; the Phoca vitulina vitulina subspecies is protected under the Wadden Sea Agreement.
There are five subspecies of the common seal:
The West Atlantic seal, Phoca vitulina concolor, lives in eastern North America;
Ungawa seal, Phoca vitulina mellonae - found in fresh waters eastern Canada. Some researchers include in the subspecies P. v. concolor;
Pacific harbor seal, Phoca vitulina richardsi. It is found in western North America;
Island seal, Phoca vitulina stejnegeri. It is found in East Asia;
East Atlantic seal, Phoca vitulina vitulina. The most common of all subspecies of the common seal. It is found in Europe and West Asia.
Seals are common in the seas adjacent to the Arctic Ocean, the Barents, Japan, Okhotsk, Bering and Chukchi Seas, as well as in inland waters - in the lakes Baikal, Ladoga, Caspian. Inhabit the coastal waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Baltic and North Seas. Common seals usually inhabit rocky places where predators cannot reach them.
Usually the main background of the head, sides and fins is yellowish-buffy-olive, on the back there is a beautiful pattern of olive-black-brown spots with outlines of elongated strokes. Common seals are brown, reddish or gray in color, and have characteristic V-shaped nostrils. Seals of the western waters have two types of color: dark and light. In seals (largha) of eastern waters, the main tone is lighter and brighter, spots less often and smaller, dark individuals are very rare. Adults reach 1.85 m in length and 132 kg of weight. Females live up to 30-35 years, and males up to 20-25 years. The global population of seals is from 400 thousand to 500 thousand individuals.
Larga, or mottled seal
Larga, or motley seal (Latin Phoca largha) - a species of seals that is closely related to the common seal and having a similar appearance. The word "larga" of seals was called the Tungus. It lives in the North Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Japan and the Far Eastern coast of Russia. Larga seal lives in the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan all year round. Largs prefer shallow bays, small islands and small groups of stones near the coast.
The fur color is light, mottled, whitish or light silver underneath, darker above, dark gray. Brown-brown-black spots of irregular shape along the back, on the sides and belly. Adult cows weigh from 81 to 109 kg and reach a length of 1.7 m males and 1.6 m females. The animal’s fins help to move not only in water but also on the surface.
The fur of the newborn seal is white, the subcutaneous layer of fat immediately after birth in the baby is small, but in 3 weeks, while he drinks mother’s fatty milk, the amount of fat increases, the baby rapidly adds weight. By 4 weeks, the baby’s body is fully adapted to the world around him. He becomes ready for active swimming and learning to feed himself. But even if they can’t immediately learn how to catch food, the supply of fat accumulated during breastfeeding is enough for 10-12 weeks of life.
The population of spotted seals is estimated at 230 thousand individuals. Larga is a fairly numerous species in the Far Eastern Seas, so hunting is allowed on them. In addition, a certain number of animals are also hunted for industrial purposes, receiving skin, fur, lard and meat. Despite its population, the spotted seal is a little-studied animal. You can see these animals from afar and only guess what the seals do.
Ringed seal
Ringed seal, or ringed seal (lat. Phoca hispida) - a species of real seals, the most common in the Arctic. In addition to the Arctic Ocean, this close relative of the common seal lives in the Baltic Sea, as well as in the lakes of Ladoga and Saimaa.
There are 4 subspecies of the ringed seal that live in different living spaces, but they are all located in polar or subpolar regions:
The White Sea subspecies (P. h. Hispida) is the most common seal of the Arctic Ocean and lives on ice floes.
The Baltic subspecies (P. h. Botnica) lives in the cold regions of the Baltic Sea, in particular off the coasts of Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Russia, occasionally reaching Germany.
Ladoga (P. h. Ladogensis) is a freshwater species that lives in Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia; this subspecies is included in the Red Books of Russia and Karelia.
Saimaa (P. h. Saimensis) is a freshwater species that lives in Lake Saimaa. The Saimaa seal is under immediate threat of extinction, this subspecies is the only mammal - endemic to Finland. According to 2012 estimates, there were about 310 individuals of this subspecies.
The ringed seal is named after light rings with a dark border that makes up the pattern of its coat. Ringed seal is the smallest seal species found in the Arctic, length - up to 1.5 m, weight - 40-80 kg. Baltic specimens are slightly larger - 140 cm and 100 kg. Males are larger than females. Ringed seals have good eyesight, as well as excellent hearing and smell. The fur of the seal is thicker and longer than that of other seals. On a gray background there are spots bordered by light rings. Seal fat is extracted in the fishery, up to 20 kg from one individual, the skins are used for the manufacture of leather and fur products.
Baikal seal
Baikal seal, or baikal seal (lat. pusa sibirica) - one of the three freshwater seal species in the world, endemic to Lake Baikal, a relict of the tertiary fauna. It is found only in Lake Baikal, from which it enters rivers, for example, into the Angara and Selenga. The main habitat in Baikal is the pelagic. Sometimes found in litter and bays of the lake.
The body length of adult seals is from 110 to 150 cm, weight is from 60 to 130 kg. The Baikal seal has a fusiform body, the neck is not delimited from the trunk. Between the fingers are membranes. The front flippers are armed with powerful claws, of which the front is the most powerful. Thin, rather long claws of the hind flippers are weaker than the claws of the front.
The skin of the seal is covered with a rather dense short fur, up to 2 cm. The edges of the ear canal remain naked, a narrow ring near the eyes and nostrils. The muzzle of the males is almost naked, the flippers are covered with wool. The color of the upper body of the Baikal seal is brownish-gray with a silver tint; the bottom is somewhat lighter.
On the upper lips of the seal there are usually eight translucent vibrissae arranged in regular rows. In males, the oral vibrissae are shorter than in females. There are infraorbital vibrissae. Such "eyebrows" consist of seven vibrissae, of which six are arranged in a regular circle, and the seventh is in the center. The nostrils of the seal represent two vertical crevices; their outer edges form leathery folds - valves. In water, the nostrils and ear holes remain tightly closed. Under the pressure of the air released from the lungs, the nostrils open.
Fishing has been banned since 1980. The Baikal seal is included in the IUCN-2008 Red List as a species close to extinction.
The Baikal seal is mentioned in the reports of the first explorers who came to Lake Baikal in the first half of the 17th century. The scientific description was first made during the work of the 2nd Kamchatka, or Great Northern Expedition, led by V. Bering. As part of this expedition, a detachment worked on Lake Baikal under the leadership of I. G. Gmelin, who diversely studied the nature of the lake and its environs and described the seal.
According to the legend of local residents, the seal was found one or two centuries ago in the Bounty Lakes. It is believed that the seal got there along the Lena and Vitim. Some of the scientists believe that the seal got into the Bauntovskie lakes from Baikal and that these lakes were supposedly connected with it. However, reliable data confirming this or that version has not yet been received.
Caspian seal
Caspian seal, or caspian seal (lat. Phoca caspica) - a species of real seals, the order of pinnipeds. The smallest seal in the world, the endemic of the Caspian Sea. It is found in the entire sea - from the coastal regions of the North Caspian to the shores of Iran.
Body length 1.2-1.4 m, weight up to 90 kg. The coloring of the back of adult seals is olive-grayish, the lower part of the body, sides, the front of the head, cheeks and throat are dirty-straw-whitish. The upper body is spotted.
This unique look is at risk of extinction: over the past 100 years, its population has declined by 90%. If at the beginning of the XX century the number of Caspian seals reached 1 million individuals, then, according to aerial photographs, the number of animals in 1989 was about 400 thousand individuals, in 2005 - 111 thousand individuals, and in 2008 no more than 100 thousand individuals. In the last century, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed Caspian seals on the list of “vulnerable” species. Currently, these animals are transferred to the category of species threatened with extinction. One of the main negative factors leading to the reduction of the species is pollution of the sea and fishing for squirrels.
Striped seal
Striped seal, or lionfish (Histriophoca fasciata) is a species of the family of true seals. Got a name thanks to a peculiar coloring. Adult males have a very contrasting color - a common dark, almost black background with white stripes encircling the body in several places. Females have a less contrasting color, their general background is lighter, and the stripes sometimes merge and are often almost indistinguishable. The body length of an adult animal is 150-190 cm, weight 70-90 kg.
Lionfish is common in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean - in the Chukchi, Bering, Okhotsk seas and the Tatar Strait. Mostly prefers the open sea, but in the event of ice drift it may be near the coast.
Harp seal
Harp seal, or bald (Latin Pagophilus groenlandicus) - a common marine mammal species of the family of true seals (Phocidae) from the order Pinnipedia in the Arctic.
Greenland seals are found in the Arctic waters of the Arctic Ocean. There are three harp seal populations that almost never intersect. The first population is distributed in the Barents, White and Kara Seas. The second population lives off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as in St. Lawrence Bay. The third population has chosen places north of Jan Mayen.
The body length of adult males is 1.7-2 m, females 1.5-1.8 m, weight 150-160 kg. The coloration of an adult male (winged) and female (utelga) is very different. The adult male is white with a straw-yellow hue, the muzzle is black, on the back on each side there is a wide black stripe. Adult female with a light muzzle, smoky gray hair, light belly, dark brown or black irregular spots on the back and sides.
With age, the color of the bald fur changes. Newborn seals are white - squirrels. After the first molt, the long white fur becomes short and gray. During molting, when young seals are white and gray, they are called hohlushami, and after molting, they are called seroks. At the age of two years, the color of the fur is ash gray with dark spots. In the third year of life, it fades, and dark spots fade. Seals at the age of two and three years are called konjujami. Only four-year-old seals acquire the characteristic outfit of adult animals.
The fur of the harp seal consists of a short, hard and sparse pile, has no undercoat and does not protect the body from cooling. It looks shiny, smooth, thick, durable. It is very warm and dense, protects even from the coldest, most piercing wind, and it is not at all afraid of water. Its delicate velvetiness and lightness make the fur an excellent material for making casual clothes and evening toilets. Restrained and aristocratic fur looks great on men and women, emphasizing the expressiveness and self-will of the owner.
Sea hare
The sea hare, or lahtak (Erignathus barbatus), is the pinniped of the seal family (Phocidae). The only species of the genus Erignathus. The name "sea hare" was given to this seal by Russian hypericum due to its fearful habits. Or, according to another version, for the likeness of the “jumps” that he makes when moving on land and ice.
The sea hare is the largest among the northern seals, its length is over 2 m, and its mass is up to 300 kg. The color of the fur is monochromatic brown-gray, darker on the back than on the belly, and mild small specks are sometimes found on it. The hairline is relatively sparse and rough. Vibrissae are long, thick and smooth.
The sea hare is distributed in the marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean and the northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In the south Atlantic, it occurs up to the Hudson Bay and the coastal waters of Labrador inclusive. In the Pacific basin south to the northern part of the Tatar Strait. Occasionally in the central parts of the Arctic Ocean. Avoids the open sea, prefers shallow coastal areas.
The commercial value of the sea hare is significant. It is mined by the local population and special hunting animals. When fishing, use subcutaneous fat (40-100 kg per animal) and the skin as a leather raw material. In some places they also use meat, mainly for feeding fur animals.
Greatness of the Monk Seal
Monk seal, or white-bellied seal (lat. Monachus monachus) - a representative of the genus of monk seal (Monachus), a family of true seals (Phocidae). Endangered.
Since ancient times, fishermen from Algeria, Turkey, and Libya also enjoyed respect from another sea animal - the monk seal. If they offended him, they said, they did not see good luck in fishing. On the west coast of Africa, it was believed that the monk seal monitors the fisherman’s respect for its prey: you can’t swear during fishing. Among the ancient Greeks, the monk seal was under the auspices of two influential gods - Apollo and Poseidon. Many cities in Greece, Turkey and Yugoslavia had in their names the local name of the monk seal. The same animal was Marcel's first totem. The image of a monk seal is often found on ancient Greek coins. In Spain, in Port Avil, to this day there is a monument to this marine mammal. And according to biblical tales, the Egyptian pharaoh with his army turned into seals when he rushed to catch Moses with the Jews leaving Egypt.
Fur seal
Northern fur seal, or a sea cat, or an eared seal (lat.Callorhinus ursinus) - pinniped mammal belonging to the family of eared seals. There are 7-9 types fur sealswhich are divided into two genera - 1 species - northern fur seals, and the remaining species - southern fur seals.
The range of various species covers the entire Pacific basin from Alaska and Kamchatka in the north to Australia and subantarctic islands in the south. In addition, the Cape Fur Seal lives on the coast of the Namib Desert in South Africa. This is the only marine mammal that can be said to live in the desert.
Seals inhabit the coasts of the seas and oceans, occupy gentle and steep rocky coast. Fur seals have a pronounced herd character, their rookeries number several thousand animals, often living in crowded and crowded places. Usually, animals relax on the shore, and go to the sea to feed. However, each such hunt can last up to 2-3 days, so cats can sleep in the water.
Fur seals feed mainly on fish, less often they can eat cephalopods. In the water, they are dexterous and fast predators, and also quite gluttonous. By autumn, fur seals accumulate a thick layer of subcutaneous fat.
Seals have an elongated body, a relatively short neck, a small head, with barely noticeable auricles, limbs are flattened into fins. Fur seals move by land, relying on all four limbs. The tail is short, almost invisible. Fur seals have wet, large, and dark eyes. They are quite shortsighted, although this is offset by a well-developed hearing and sense of smell, are also capable of echolocation.
Fur seals are covered with rather peculiar fur. Fur of fur seals has a low, very thick and soft underfur, and a rough and stiff awn. On the skin, there are about 300 thousand hair. The ratio of awn to fluff is 1:30.
The color of fur in fur seals varies with age. The color of animals is often brown, sometimes from silver-gray to black-brown. Newborn cats are shiny pure black, after molting their fur becomes gray. With age, fur fur turns brown. The older the animal, the more dark colors there are.
The males and females of fur seals are very different in size: the males look more massive due to the thick neck and are 4-5 times larger than the females. The weight of males of a large northern fur seal can reach 100-250 kg, while females weigh only 25-40 kg.
In addition to natural enemies, hunting brings considerable damage to populations. And to this day, the production of fur seals is conducted on an industrial scale. Only cubs are killed (their fur is of the best quality), in addition to the skins they also use the meat and fat of these animals. However, the main production is for the fashion industry. Some subspecies of fur seals are on the verge of extinction.
This species was described by Carl Linnaeus on the basis of detailed information provided by Georg Steller, who first encountered this species on Bering Island in 1742.
The rookeries of northern fur seals were first described in 1741 on the Commander Islands by an expedition of Vitus Bering. Naturalist Georg Steller wrote in his diaries about “countless herds of cats,” whose numbers were huge at that time (Golder, 1925). Since then, hunters of “fur gold” have rushed there, as well as to other islands of the North Pacific, and rookeries repeatedly fell into decay as a result of uncontrolled fishing and were restored again. In 1957, a convention was adopted to conserve fur seals in the North Pacific. In recent decades, the fishery of fur seals has greatly decreased, and on some islands, including in 1995 on Medny Island, it was completely stopped due to economic unprofitability (Stus, 2004). On Tyuleniy Island, fur seal fishing has been discontinued for 5 years. But annually hunting brigades come here to catch animals by orders of Russian dolphinariums and aquariums - usually from 20 to 40 individuals. Until now, small-scale fishing in Russia is being conducted on Bering Island.
Fur seal for lovers of beauty
Fur of fur seals is highly appreciated, because of its unusual density, tenderness and silkiness. It is very warm and wearable, waterproof and extremely durable, 95% wear. Service life is about 12-14 years.
Fur of fur seals is of high quality and is in great demand in foreign and domestic markets. Skins aged 2-4 years, length from 50 to 150 cm, older than 4 years are considered unsuitable for the manufacture of fur products, as they have rare fluff and thick heavy leather fabric. Natural shades of fur of fur seal - from dark gray to almost black. In the process of dressing, an awn is sometimes plucked, and the fluff is painted: the top is black or dark brown, the bottom is cherry or golden. In a whole fur seal fur product, it may seem too heavy, so it creates dense folds on the bend. Looks great in combination with other fur or in the form of trim. Fur is used for the manufacture of collars, men's hats, lighter - for women's coats.
Design modern coat of fur of fur seals - their straight silhouette demonstrates the natural beauty of the beast and emphasizes the owner’s superstyle and originality, providing her comfort in any inclement weather. Fur coats allow women to look mysterious and seductive, and men - courageous and powerful.
Seal Fishing
Seals are game animals. Three species are characteristic of the Arctic Ocean: harp seal, sea hare and ringed seal. Common seal is found outside of Russia polar arctic. In Russia, in the first place for prey is the harp seal, the length of an adult animal is more than 1.5 m, weight - up to 160 kg. Fishing for other seals is difficult due to the fact that they do not form mass clusters.
In the fishery, fat and skin of adult animals are used, and the skin of the squirrels goes for processing under fur. Belk fishing is a type of fur trade, the object of which is belek. Belek is a newborn cub of the Greenland or Caspian seal, covered with snow-white fur. Over the past years, this fishery has attracted the attention of various environmental organizations and has been subjected to harsh criticism from them, despite the fact that indigenous peoples have always restrained the amount of squirrels and this kept balance in nature since a large number of squirrels eats all the fish, which could threaten an environmental catastrophe.
Depending on the breed and the habitat of the seal, the fur is distinguished by the length of the pile, color and texture:
Belek - skins have the greatest density and quality of fur. They have a primary, shiny, soft, firmly sitting hairline. Coloring is white or cream color, as well as with a grayish even or spotty hue on the spinal part of the skin.
Crested dog - the skins have a primary, dense, soft, firmly seated hairline from light to dark gray in color on the ridge and silver-gray in the womb.
Serka - molted, rare, rough, shiny, short hair. Coloring is gray or silver-gray with dark spots.
Sivar (Caspian) - skins of a molted seal under the age of one year, with shiny, low, soft hair of a motley gray color.
Akiba - skins of gray-green color with a yellowish tint, with a pattern of large annular, dark spots in the middle, surrounded by a light border.
Larga - skin color is light yellow or cream with a pattern of solid dark spots.
Seal - skins have a shiny, thick, low, even, long pile. The fur consists of a coarse, almost fluff-free spine that adheres tightly to the skin tissue, dark brown in color, with ring-shaped spots. The skin tissue is thick and heavy.
Durable seal fur for demanding customers
Seal fur is one of the most popular, beautiful and durable materials. The fur of the seal is thicker, smooth and long, silky to the touch, gray in color with ring-shaped spots. Beautiful silver seal fur with a wonderful beautiful natural pattern has excellent qualities, has unique water-repellent properties. The seal fur is extremely practical - it is very durable, does not wipe, does not climb, does not wear out for a long time. It is used in its natural form, and also painted in brown, black, white, using tone and top dyeing. The fur of the seal is plucked and not plucked. It has high wear resistance - 95%, it is up to 20 seasons and water-repellent.
Seal fur is quite expensive due to the rarity of this animal. It requires a very high-quality dressing, due to the thick lower layer of the skin. In the seal, the fur is very hard and a little heavy, so short items are often sewn from the seal. After several years of wearing, the mezra becomes softer and the product from the seal fur looks even more attractive than the new one. They make leather and fur products: women's coats, men's jackets, jackets, hats, men's collars and women's bags. 
The seal fur is universal, suitable for classic and sports products, it is perfectly combined with leather and suede, with brilliant accessories, as comfortable as possible in an urban environment.
Seal fur looks great on men and women, many fashion houses include it in their winter and autumn collections. Seal fur products perfectly fit, ideal for people with a moving lifestyle, mostly men. The seal fur is perfectly draped and suitable for sewing outerwear, skirts, cardigans, hats. If a new seal product may seem tough to you, then after two to three weeks, socks, like a leather product, acquire their natural flexibility.
The stiffness of the skin increases the wear of this fur, so that the owner of the seal or coat can be sure that it will serve him for a long time and reliably. Clothing made from seal fur, with daily, not very careful, wear can last more than a decade. In bad weather, the seal fur retains its appearance and thermal insulation properties. 
It has moisture resistance, it is not afraid of torrential rain and the reagents with which public utilities sprinkle roads. The fur of the seal requires minimal care: you can remove dirt by simply wiping the fur with a damp sponge, it will sparkle with a beautiful silver-blue glow. Upon returning home, a fur coat or jacket just shake off. Seal fur products are beautiful and practical for the city dweller.
Seal products are suitable for active, energetic people who do not like clothes to constrain movement. Those who want to look good, but do not like to devote too much time to caring for their clothes. Those who pick up fur for daily wear, and not in order to impress friends. For those who seek to combine convenience and an elegant look in clothing. 
With the development of the fur industry, some species of marine animals, which are a valuable raw material for the fur industry, are on the verge of extinction. Every year, the snow-white landscape of the eastern coast of Canada is covered in bloody traces. Hunters brutally kill thousands of innocent seal pups who die in terrible agony, and their skins go to make luxury goods. Therefore, think about whether the life of a little linen of your fur product is worth it. You can get acquainted with the methods of protecting marine animals on the website:
The average body length of an adult seal is 165 cm (from the end of the nose to the end of the back flippers). Weight from 50 to 130 kg, females by weight more than males. Linear growth ends in seals by the age of 17-19, and weight continues for a number of years and is possible until the end of life. They live up to 55 years.
In a calm environment, the speed of movement under water does not exceed 7-8 km / h. The maximum speed is 20−25 km / h. But at such a speed, she swims when she moves away from danger. The seal moves along the solid substrate rather slowly, fingering with flippers and tail. In case of danger proceeds to jumps.
According to the fishermen, the seal fell into the net at a depth of 200 m, but, as a rule, it dives to much shallower depths. The seal is found in a well-lit area (25-30 m) and, apparently, it does not need to dive deep. The seal is capable of sinking up to 400 m, and withstands pressure of 21 atm. Under experimental conditions (in a large aquarium), when it was kept under water, the seal was there for up to 65 minutes. (record duration). In nature, it is under water for up to 20−25 min. - this is enough for her to get food or to escape from danger.
Area
Evolution
According to modern classification, the Baikal seal belongs to the family of real seals (Phocidae), a genus Pusa. Researchers (in particular, K.K. Chapsky, a well-known pinniped specialist in Russia and abroad) believe that the Baikal seal was descended from a common ancestor with the northern ringed seal. Moreover, the parental forms of these two species are later than the Caspian seal.
Lifestyle
Nutrition
Non-commercial fish (golomyanka, Baikal goby) serves as a food for seals. Under experimental conditions (in an aquarium), the daily ration of seals ranged from 3 to 5 kg of fish. In a year, adult seals eat up to 1 ton of fish. The main food of the seal is the Golomyanka-goby fish. Omul is caught in seals by chance and in a very small amount, not more than 1-2% of the daily diet.
Breeding
By 3-4 years of life, seals become sexually mature. Pregnancy lasts 11 months, of which the first 3-5 last embryonic diapause.
Young growth
It gives birth to cubs in a specially prepared snow den. Most seals are born in mid-March. Usually a seal gives birth to one, rarely two cubs. The weight of the newborn is up to 4 kg. The skin of the cubs is silver or silver-gray. About 4-6 weeks, the cub spends exclusively inside the den, eating mother's milk. By the time the den collapses, they manage to shed almost completely. The mother takes care of the baby, absent only for the duration of the hunt. In her presence, the temperature inside the den reaches +5 ° C, while frosts −15 ... -20 ° C stand outside.
Wintering
On ice in the lairs under the snow, often in the hummocks of Lake Baikal.
When the lake is chained with ice, the seal can only breathe through vents-vents - spare holes in the ice. The nerpa makes air vents, raking the ice from below with claws of the forelimbs. Around her lair, there are up to a dozen or more auxiliary products, which can be tens or even hundreds of meters away from the main one. Products are usually rounded in shape. The size of the auxiliary ducts is 10-15 cm (sufficient to stick your nose out above the surface of the water), and the main duct is up to 40-50 cm. From the bottom, the vents have the shape of an overturned funnel - they expand significantly downwards. Interestingly, the ability to make products is an innate instinct. In the experimental aquarium for resting seals on the water surface, a small floating platform of 5-centimeter foam was installed, and the rest of the aquarium with open water. Young nerds of a month and two months of age made holes in the foam, raking it with claws from below, put their nose out and breathed in the air, although there was open water nearby. "Saturated" with air, again went under water. It should be noted that the seals were captured at a week or two weeks of age, when they were still fed mother's milk. I had to feed them with condensed milk through the nipple from the bottle, like children. In the water they were not swimming then and they were afraid of water. And when they grew up, they showed what they are capable of.
Sleep
According to observations, the seal in the water sleeps, as it is in an immobilized state for quite some time, probably as long as there is enough oxygen in the blood. During sleep, seals scuba divers swam close to her, touched and even turned over, but the animal continued to sleep.
Ecology
Nerpa is the peak in the food chain in the ecosystem of Lake Baikal. The only source of danger is man.
The appearance of seals in Baikal
Until now, there is no single point of view among scientists how this animal got into Lake Baikal. Most researchers adhere to the point of view of I.D. Chersky that the seal penetrated into Lake Baikal from the Arctic Ocean through the Yenisei-Angara river system in the Ice Age, simultaneously with the Baikal omul. Other scientists do not exclude the possibility of its penetration along the Lena, into which, as suggested, there was a runoff from Lake Baikal.
The first description of the seal (Baikal seal)
Mention of it is in the reports of the first explorers who came here in the first half of the XVII century. The scientific description was first made during the work of the 2nd Kamchatka, or Great Northern, expedition led by V. Bering. As part of this expedition, a detachment worked on Lake Baikal under the leadership of I. G. Gmelin, who diversely studied the nature of the lake and its environs and described the seal.
Did the seal live in the Bounty Lakes?
According to the legend of local residents, the seal recently (one or two centuries ago) was found in the Baunt lakes (the Baunt lakes are connected with the Vitim river basin). It is believed that the seal got there along the Lena and Vitim. Some of the scientists believe that the seal got into the Bauntovskie lakes from Baikal and that these lakes were supposedly connected with it. However, reliable data confirming this or that version has not yet been received.
Seal population
According to the staff of the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, there are currently about 100 thousand heads. Counting is carried out in different ways. The fastest, but less reliable - visually from an airplane that flies on a specific route grid. Counters look into the window and mark each lair seen or take aerial photographs of the routes and take into account the lairs. And then they are already being converted from a unit area to the entire water area of \u200b\u200bthe lake. The second method is laying on Baikal about 100 accounting sites 1.5 × 1.5 km each. They are circled on a motorcycle or walked on ice and count all the lairs that are found on the sites. Then a recount is carried out for the entire water area of \u200b\u200bthe lake. And finally, the route method. On two or three motorbikes, a group of counters makes routes across Lake Baikal at a certain distance from each other, sufficient to see all the lairs that meet from the motorcycle. AT last years the most accurate (maximum statistical error of 10%) is applied - areal - accounting for seals. The greatest age of seals in Baikal, determined by an employee of the Limnological Institute V. D, Pastukhov, is 56 years old for females and 52 years old for males. At the age of 3 - 6 years, it is capable of mating, the offspring brings at the age of 4 - 7 years. Males reach puberty a year or two later. Pregnancy in the seal lasts 11 months. It begins with embryonic diapause - a delay in the development of the embryo in the womb of the female for 3 - 3.5 months. For life, a female can probably bring up to two dozen or more cubs, given that she is able to bring offspring up to the age of 40. Females whelp usually annually. However, up to 10 - 20% of females remain poisonous for various reasons each year. This period stretches for more than a month - from late February to early April. Most seals appear in mid-March. They are born on ice, in a snowy den. In the first period, while they are fed mother’s milk, they do not dive into the water, but prefer to lie down in the den.
Fishing
The basis of fishing for the Baikal seal is valuable fur. The fat, meat and internal organs of animals are used to a limited extent by the local population. Options for the rational use of the Baikal seal in the food industry are considered.
Hypericum predominantly occurs in cubs after the first molt.
