NEPTUNE 911 For Kids: The Biggest Seals on Earth Hanging with King Penguins

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Biggest Seals on Earth Hanging with King Penguins

Northern Elephant Seals. Adult female, adult male and pup

There are two kinds of elephant seals. Northern Elephant Seals and Southern Elephant Seals. The biggest is the Southern Elephant Seal.

Imagine walking along the shoreline in Antarctica and meeting face to face with a seal that is 20-feet long(6m) and 8000 pounds (4,000kg) or more!

Northern Elephant Seals are found along the west coast of the Pacific Ocean and range from the Aleutian Islands to the islands near Baja California.An adult male can measure 16-feet long (5m), and weigh up to 5000 pounds (2 267kg) That is still big.


The yellow shows where elephant seals live

Did you know that there was a time when all elephant seals were hunted to near-extinction? That means that hunters killed so many of these big seals--for oil--that barely any elephant seals were left on the planet.

Here's a video about Southern Elephant Seals hanging around King Penguins.

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Testing the Waters

The northern elephant seals pups born during the winter are now called "weaners." Thousands of these 300-pound weaners test the waters. In other words,they are teaching themselves how to swim.

You read that right. Northern elephant seal pups and weaners do not know how to swim. Their mothers left them behind just 4-weeks after they were born. So, now they are on their own, grouped together in "weaner pods" and the beach and nearby tidepools are their classroom.

By April most of these fat weaners will have developed muscle from playing in the water. They will swim like athletes, and dive like Olympic stars. That means it is time for them to leave the safety of their birthplace and begin a 6-month adventure in the Pacific Ocean.

The next time you and I can see them is when they return to their beach sometime around September.

About Humpback Whales

From NOAA

How did the humpback whale get its name?

The humpback whale gets its name from fact
that the dorsal fin sits on a large “hump” on
the back, which is noticeable when the whale
arches its back and dives. The scientific
name, Megaptera novaeangliae, means “big
wing of New England.” The “big wing” refers
to the humpback’s very long flippers, which
can be one-third of its body length.

What do they look like?

Humpback whales can be easily identified by
their markings. They are rorqual whales - a
set of whales that are all in the family
Balaenopteridae, have ventral (head to tail)
grooves on the throat, and a small, pointed
dorsal fin. The grooves allow the throat to
expand so they can take in huge amounts of
water when they feed. The grooves contract
and push out the water, which is filtered
through baleen.

This is an adaptation that developed to help it
efficiently eat the tons of food needed for its
survival. Baleen, made of fingernail-like material
called keratin, hangs down in a humpback’s
mouth and catches the food. Humpback whales
have between 270 and 400 pairs of baleen and
each is approximately 30 inches long. The
plates are rough enough to filter prey such as
krill.

Humpbacks have an irregularly shaped dorsal
fin located two-thirds of the way back of the
body and very long flippers.

Humpbacks have large bumps on the leading
edge (front) of the flippers as well as bump-like
knobs on the head and lower jaw. Each of the
bumps on the head and lower jaw are a called
“tubercle.” They contain stiff hairs, like a cat’s
whiskers, that may help humpbacks regulate
temperature or sense things in the water.

Many humpback whales are also home to
barnacles that stick to their skin.

Humpback whales usually dive underwater for 3-5 minutes.

NEPTUNE 911 For Kids

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Biggest Seals on Earth Hanging with King Penguins

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Post a Comment

Dont Trash the Beach

New Born Northern Elephant Seal Pup

Testing the Waters

About Humpback Whales

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