International Seal Day丨Patting your belly and basking in the sun, I heard you want to have this kind of life

March 1st of each year is International Seal Day

Aims to promote seal conservation worldwide

The current population of seals in the world

13 genera and 18 species

Mainly distributed in the polar regions

Why are polar animals so round and plump?

Animals of gigantic size often fill us with awe. However, the truly gigantic animals on Earth are not found on the land we are familiar with. On land, one's own weight is a burden on the body, requiring support from bones, muscles and other parts of the body, and often at the expense of flexibility of movement - for example, how about asking an elephant to jump? In fact, the truly giant creatures on Earth all live in water, where the buoyancy of water can dissipate some of the pressure caused by body weight. In the cold polar waters, animals need to rely more on their huge size to keep warm, so the polar regions are a place where giant sea beasts are produced. There are two types of giant beasts that appear in polar waters: one is whales that live entirely in the sea, and the other is pinnipeds that live both on land and in water.

There are three main groups of pinnipeds: seals, sea lions (including fur seals), and walruses. Sea lions and walruses are more closely related and are sometimes collectively referred to as "eared seals," while seals are more evolved and are often referred to as "true seals" or "earless seals."

Seals: Masters of underwater breath holding

Seals spend most of their time in the water, and only come to shore or ice during the breeding season or when they are basking in the sun. Therefore, they have a very good breath-holding ability and can stay underwater for more than half an hour without breathing. They can even sleep in the water and float to the surface to breathe while half asleep and half awake.

Do you recognize these seals?

In fact, there is more than one kind of seal. Seal is the common name for seals. Some people say that the white and furry seal is the "cute god" in the seal world, and it has attracted many fans. Take the spotted seal as an example. When it is young, it has white fur all over its body, which feels soft and sticky. In fact, it is the peak of the spotted seal's appearance. As it grows up and becomes fatter, it loses its fur and becomes a completely different face. It can be said to be "as fat as two people."

Harbor seal

The spotted seal is 1.5-2 meters long and is distributed in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. In my country, it is mainly distributed in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. It preys on fish, and also eats cephalopods and crustaceans.

Saddle seal

The saddle seal is also called the Greenland seal. It is white or brownish-gray in color, with a black band shaped like a saddle from the shoulders to the tail. It preys on fish, crustaceans and mollusks.

Bearded Seal

The bearded seal is also called the bearded seal, named for its dense and hard whiskers on its snout. It is brown-gray or gray-brown in color, without any markings. It preys on shrimps, crabs, mollusks, bottom-dwelling fish such as flathead and flounder, and also squid.

Elephant seal

The elephant seal is the largest type of seal. Its characteristic is that the male's nose can expand when excited or angry. Elephant seals include northern elephant seals and southern elephant seals.

Due to overfishing and seawater pollution

Every year, many marine animals die from swallowing garbage by mistake.

The seal population is also declining sharply...

Fight against illegal seal hunting

Oppose the use of wild-caught seals in captivity for entertainment

It's us who protect

The most basic method of these animals

I hope the seals' survival will not only be today

In every ordinary day, people can pay attention to

Comprehensive sources: Xinhuanet, China National Geographic, Shanghai Children's Publishing House, etc.