Fun Trivia » Animals » Carnivores » Pinnipedia- Seals and Sea Lions

The leopard seal is, in fact, the only species in the Hydrurga genus. 'Hydrurga' means 'water worker'. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Lobodon, Leptonychotes, Phoca

Pinnipeds means pin footed and the only other animal in this group is the walrus. They are called this because they use their flippers like feet to walk on land. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Rodents, Cats, Marsupials

Pinnipeds are a group of carnivores that include walruses and seals. Pinnipeds are identifiable by their finned feet that help them swim and travel across ice. Pinnipeds tend to be blubbery and live in cold climates, but it is not a requirement and some species of pinnipeds live in warmer climates. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Having tusks, Living in a polar region, Being vegetarian in diet

The South African fur seal is a member of the Otariidae family; they live and breed off the coast of Africa. Like most seals they live mainly on fish, cephalopods and crustaceans.
Difficulty: Hard.

 

New Zealand fur seals, Guadalupe fur seals, Northern fur seals

Leopard seals favour a cold climate, and are generally found in the icy waters of the Antarctic, especially within the Western Antarctic region. Some vagrant leopard seals have been found off the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, South America and South Africa. Difficulty: Average.

 

The Arctic, North America, Scandinavia

Sealions and seals usually give birth to just one pup. True seal pups (those with fur) have to stay on land for the first few months until their waterproof fur has grown. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Kits, Calves, Kids

Male walruses tend to be two or three times larger than females. A male Pacific walrus can weigh over 4,000 pounds while an Atlantic male can weigh over 2,000. Conversely, a female Pacific walrus weighs only about 1,800 pounds and the female Atlantic walrus can weigh as little as 800 pounds. Most of a walrus' body weight can be attributed to its blubber that keeps it warm in frigid temperatures. Difficulty: Very Easy.

Male southern elephant seals can weigh up to 8,500lbs and the females weigh up to 2,000 lbs. The males are twice as long as the females and have a trunk like protuberance on their faces. This accounts for their name. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Northern Elephant Seal, Gray Seal, Harp Seal

Bearded seals belong to the family Phocidae. Bearded seals often fall prey to the polar bear. The fat content of the bearded seal is approximately 30-40%. Like monk seals, they have four milk-producing nipples which is beneficial for a strong, healthy pup.

Difficulty: Hard.

 

Odobenidae, Otariidae, None of these

During mating season, adult males called bulls try to coerce as many female cows as possible to form their harems. The largest and strongest bulls maintain their harems while the remaining bulls called bachelors are driven elsewhere. Like most mammals, sea lions are polygynous.
A group of sea lions gathered on land or an ice floe are known as a colony. Difficulty: Hard.

 

A herd, A pride, A harem

There are three types of pinnipeds; the true (or earless) seals, the sea lions, and the fur seals. True seals are also known as 'crawling seals' because, unlike sea lions and fur seals, they have very short flippers. This means that they cannot walk on all fours, and must therefore crawl along on their bellies. Difficulty: Hard.

 

It has pronounced canine teeth, It makes a barking noise, It can walk on all fours

Seals have been hunted exhaustively for their fur, meat and blubber. The Caribbean monk seal has been hunted to extinction. It is now internationally illegal to hunt pinnipeds, but illegal poaching still occurs. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Sharks, Polar Bears, Whales

The baculum is a penis bone that is found in many mammals. A walrus' baculum can be up to 25 inches long. The primary function of the penis bone is to make reproduction easier but it also functions as something like a shield to protect a walrus' organs from pressure changes while diving. Female walruses have an equivalent bone called a baubellum. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Set of whiskers, Tail fin, Flotation sac

The word walrus might have evolved from the Dutch word for whale "walvis". This is the theory of J.R.R. Tolkien who was a professor of English. Another possibility is the Norse word "hrossvalr" which means horse whale or the Dutch "wal reus" which means giant of the shore. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Dolphin, Manatee, Otter

Harbor seals have many signs of communication, but are considered to be the "least vocal of the pinnipeds." Harbor seals will usually snort and even sneeze to show who is dominant or to scare off predators. The pups usually make "sheep-like cries" to attract their mother's attention. These are often a sign that it's time for feeding.

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/harbor-seal/communication.htm
Difficulty: Easy.

 

Snorts, Sneezes, Sheep-like cries

Sea lions usually give birth to only one pup a year. The lanugo is a thick coat of hair which helps to keep the pup warm till it develops a layer of blubber. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Blubber, Bristles, Underfur

Male leopard seals make at least five different sounds. The number of differentiated calls depends on a male's age; a younger one has a larger range than an older one. They vocalise underwater, and their calls can vary from high-pitched bird-like trills to moans or clonking noises. This is a way of setting out their territory, but they can also use it to attract mates. Scientists have managed to record these calls by placing tiny microphones around pack ice. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Leopard seals do not vocalise, Barking, By sonar, like a dolphin

Orcas and polar bears can both hunt walruses but typically do not do so. Both animals prefer other prey that are easier to catch. Walruses will defend themselves using their tusks or simply dive away from orcas or polar bears, making them a non-ideal prey. Typically when targeting a walrus, a predator will try to severely injure it first. Humans also hunt walruses primarily for their blubber and skin. However, such a practice is rare, decreasing and practiced only by people in polar climates. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Sea lions and penguins, Seals and great white sharks, Dolphins and grizzly bears

The Ross seal was named after British explorer, Sir James Clark Ross. Ross seals often fall prey to killer whales and leopard seals. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Conservation dependent, Near threatened, Least concern

Seals can dive for long periods because they have extra haemoglobin in their blood and myoglobin in their muscles. Both of these substances are oxygen carrying compounds so they can keep on swimming under water for much longer than you or I, without needing to come up for oxygen. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Up to ten minutes, Up to ten hours, Up to half an hour

A walrus will feed on all of those items but it prefers bivalves such as clams. A walrus uses its snout and whiskers to create a suction force along the ocean bed to suck in clams and other small prey. There is very little food found in its habitat that a walrus will not eat. Other things that a walrus will eat are crabs, corals, tubeworms and seals. However, typically speaking a walrus will not hunt other mammals but may pick at the carcass of one. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Whale blubber, Narwhals, Sea cucumbers

Nicklen said afterwards that he expected the leopard seal he met to attack him. To his surprise, the beast brought him several penguins, some living, some dead. He believed she mistook him for a smaller leopard seal, and was trying to feed him as well as teach him to fend for himself. Difficulty: Hard.

 

She pushed him towards a school of fish with her flippers, She vocalised loudly at him, She indicated a food source with her tail

Sealions can dive up to 600 feet and can stay under water for up to forty minutes before they need to come up for air. They can do this by closing their nostrils as they enter the water and not opening them again until they need to breathe. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Up to 200 feet, Up to 300 feet, Up to 100 feet

Like other pinnipeds, walruses have air sacs in their throats that help them dive and return to the surface. Walruses only dive about 200 feet below sea level (comparatively low to other pinnipeds) but the throat sacs are still needed to prevent water from filling up the lungs and drowning. Primarily, walruses use their throat sacs to keep their heads above water while swimming or sleeping in the water.

Female walruses use the air sacs to aide in feeding their young while male walruses use them to attract a mate. When a male inflates his air sacs, they make a "love song" that attracts females. Difficulty: Hard.

 

No one really knows, Protects against predators, Acts as a temperature gauge

Both seals and sealions like to eat fish with the occasional squid, lobster or octopus. However, leopard seals are known to eat penguins or smaller seals. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Small water mammals, Plankton, Roots and leaves

The Japanese sea lion is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of the California sea lion. It became extinct in the 1950s. They were found along the coast of the Sea of Japan.
The Steller sea lion is endangered while the New Zealand sea lion is listed as vulnerable. Difficulty: Average.

 

California sea lion, Steller sea lion, New Zealand sea lion