What is the name of a newborn baby seal?
Seal cubs are born in a specially prepared snow den, usually one, rarely two, in February-March.
The weight of a newborn is up to 4 kg. The cub's skin is white. Hence its name - squirrel. The seal spends about 4-6 weeks exclusively inside the den, feeding on its mother’s milk. By the time the lair collapses, it has almost completely shed. The mother takes care of the baby, leaving only for the duration of the hunt. In the presence of the mother, the temperature inside the den reaches +5 °C, while outside there are frosts of -15...-20 °C.
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Social structure and reproduction
Photo: Baikal seal calf
Sexual maturity in female pinnipeds of Baikal occurs at four years, but some individuals do not reproduce until they are seven years old; males mature at six years. In the last ten days of March and the first half of April, the mooing of pinnipeds is heard from under the thickness of the ice cover. These are calling sounds with which they lure each other. This is how the seal's rut begins. Copulation takes place underwater.
Gestation lasts 11 months. At the beginning of February, females begin to build dens, which are located hundreds of meters from each other and away from the coastline. By the end of winter and the entire first month of spring, pinnipeds are delivered from their burden. They give birth to one baby each, in 2% of cases – twins. The weight of a newborn is about 4 kg.
Babies feed on milk. The lactation time of Baikal pinnipeds is longer than that of its close relatives and depends on the destruction of the lake’s ice cover. It is 2 - 3.5 months. In more southern zones it may be shorter than in the north by 20 days. Even after the ice begins to break, mothers continue to feed their young with milk. At the age of 2 - 2.5 months, seals already weigh about 20 kg. Such a large weight gain is associated with a long period of milk feeding.
Throughout her life, the female gives birth more than 20 times, until about the age of forty. The fact that conception does not occur in some years depends on the health and nutritional conditions of the female.
Twenty years of experience in observing animals has revealed a direct dependence of reproduction on the hydroclimatic conditions on Lake Baikal in the spring and on how molting occurs. Males are polygamous, after the rutting period they live near their breeding grounds. They do not take part in raising children. Moreover, the rutting period of the seal coincides with the feeding of the babies. Males can inflict wounds on them, driving away cubs that are too attached to their mothers.
Baby seal. Little seal. Belek - baby seal
Seals are common in all northern seas. These are predatory mammals from the group of pinnipeds. Two subspecies (European and island) are listed in the Red Book. The coastal waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the North and Baltic seas are also inhabited by seals.
Description of animals
The weight and length of the animal can vary greatly - from ninety-five kilograms to three tons, from one and a half to six meters. The smallest species is the ringed seal, the largest is the elephant seal. Typically the color of the animal is brown, gray or reddish. Under natural conditions, females live up to thirty-five years, and males - up to twenty. The body of the animal is spindle-shaped, the head is small, tapering in front. A short and inactive neck, no ears. Well defined but short tail. The front flippers are quite short (less than twenty-five percent of the total body length). They are much shorter than the rear ones.
Reproduction and feeding
During the mating season, seals stay in pairs. The birth of the calf usually occurs on the ice. One puppy is born. He is born sighted and fully physically formed. Most often, females try to hide their cubs in snow holes. Feeding with milk stops when the cub is not yet able to obtain food for itself, so from two to twelve weeks the animals starve, surviving only on accumulated fat.
Baby seal: what is it called?
These are perhaps the most charming representatives of the animal world - a large head and large, wide-open eyes. In addition, these babies have snow-white fur covering their entire body. Since ancient times, the Pomors called an adult male seal bald, a female seal - utelga, and their cubs were called differently, depending on age - whites, greens, serks, khokhlushkas. All these names are correct and relevant today. In scientific literature, a small seal is most often called a pup. And such a baby is also called a baby seal.
Seal Pup: Birth
During the summer months, seals live in the Far North. In late autumn they begin to move south. For breeding, they choose large and durable ice floes, on which “nursery breeding grounds” are created, which can stretch for tens of kilometers. The number of animals in such “colonies” numbers tens of thousands of individuals. Seal pregnancy lasts eleven and a half months. It must be said that ice is a reliable antiseptic: very low temperatures do not allow microbes to develop. The birth of babies occurs from January to April. The bulk of the cubs appear from the twentieth of February to the fifth of March.
green seal
A newborn seal calf received its name (or rather, one of them) due to the color of its fur coat. The puppy's body is covered with thick, long white hair with a greenish tint. This is where the name “greenback” comes from. At birth, it weighs 8-10 kilograms and reaches a length of 92 centimeters.
White seal
The greenish tint does not last long. By the way, it is formed under the influence of amniotic fluid in the womb. After five days, it disappears completely, and the baby seal, the photo of which you see in this article, turns into the most charming creature of absolutely white color. At this time he is very dependent on his mother. A female seal feeds her pup every four to five hours. Her milk is very fatty (up to fifty percent fat). Thanks to this, the baby gains up to three kilograms of weight every day. During this period, the seal pup is very defenseless. What is it called at this time? Of course, Belek.
Features of a baby seal
The squirrel's huge eyes are constantly watering, so it seems that the animal is crying. But this is a natural process for moisturizing the eyes. Belek, the baby seal, is constantly trembling. This is explained by the regulation of heat in his body. He has not yet formed a fat layer, like an adult animal. The squirrel's fur consists of transparent hollow hairs that allow sunlight to pass through the black skin, thereby warming it.
Existing misconceptions
For a long time, researchers of these animals believed that the female, who needs to leave from time to time in search of food for herself, finds the squirrel by its voice. This is wrong. A seal pup has a unique scent that helps its mother find it.
It was believed that a baby seal (whose name is Belek), which was once stroked by a person, would forever remain an “orphan.” The female will no longer approach him. This is not true. If you happen to visit the North Pole, you can pet these charming animals as much as you like, but you must do this with gloves, as they react very negatively to a human hand that is too “hot” for them.
And one more piece of advice. When petting the baby and playing with it, do not block it from the mother - having lost sight of the baby, she may rush to attack.
Khokhlusha seal
In the third week of life, the squirrel begins to molt. Under its luxurious white fur, a silvery skin becomes noticeable. For a week, such a baby seal is called a Khokhlusha.
Serka - baby seal
When the baby seal is one month old, the animal's fur changes again. It turns into the usual hard and short hair coat for these mammals. The fur is gray in color, darker on the back. There are dark, almost black spots. During this period, the seal pup is called a serka.
Enemy of the seals
The most terrible and merciless enemy of seals is the polar bear. At the end of a harsh and hungry winter, a seal pup is an excellent prey for him. The female usually does not protect the squirrel - what can she oppose to a hungry and angry predator in his native element? If there is a ceiling of more than a meter above the snow hole, then it is difficult for the bear to find shelter, but if the hole is found, then the squirrel is doomed to death.
Seal hunt
Until two thousand and nine, our country was the only one in the world where it was allowed to hunt squirrels. Moreover, Russia is also the main importer of seal fur products. Usually this is the fur of older individuals - serks.
Animal protection
The very first organization to defend the whites was the International Foundation IFAW. It is to protect these charming animals with valuable fur that this organization was created. The foundation extends its work to Canada and Russia. Many famous people of the planet also joined his work. Brigitte Bardot organized a demonstration at the Norwegian embassy in 1977. Then the President of France banned the import of squirrel fur products into the country. Therefore, it is rightly believed that France is the first country to introduce special prohibitory measures aimed at protecting these animals. Paul McCartney later joined the defense. He flew to Canada to slaughter sites and held several charity events.
In Russia, such work began in 2008 thanks to the efforts of the public. Many famous people of our country turned to the president of the country. Elena Kamburova, Andrei Makarevich, Laima Vaikule, Konstantin Raikin, Mikhail Shirvindt and other actors, as well as scientists, artists, and journalists supported the protest against the destruction of the whites.
In February 2009, our country introduced a complete (temporary) ban on the capture of seal pups of all age groups. Vladimir Putin (Prime Minister at the time) was applauded by animal activists around the world. It was he who achieved this ban.
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But help for the baby came from an unexpected direction - from Nika’s husky
Sergey and Natalya Shaburov
The seal was laid near the bathhouse, Nika approached him, who licked him for more than an hour, most likely mistaking the baby for a puppy. Such care made itself felt, and the dog’s patient woke up and opened his eyes!
Natalya and Sergey decided to consolidate their success and gave the baby chopped fish, from the smell of which he finally came to his senses. But seals eat in water, so for a full meal, the foundling was placed in an ordinary bath filled with water. At the same time, Nika did not leave her charge anywhere.
Question: What is the name of a newborn baby seal?
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When on the third day the seal was brought to shore again, it swam away completely.
Sergey and Natalya Shaburov
As Natalya told Baikal Info, Umka at first again did not want to leave his family
He didn’t want to sail anywhere, although he was free. I even pushed him a little to swim, because he loves it so much. Umka swam, surfacing less often, and soon disappeared from sight. We think he met one of his own. He never returned to us...
Nika was sad, but soon found new charges - domestic goats, which she now looks after. And you can be sure that she will not offend them.
Who are Belek, Zelenets, Khokhlusha and Serka?
On March 15, many countries around the world celebrate the International Day for the Protection of White Whites (baby seals or seals), established on the initiative of the International Fund for Animal Welfare IFAW. On this day, various actions, demonstrations and pickets are held against the killing of these small animals for their valuable fur. Due to uncontrolled fishing at the end of the 20th century, squirrels were on the verge of extinction.
AiF.ru has selected 10 facts from the life of seals.
Squirrels are baby seals
Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Squirrels are the names of young harp and long-faced seals, as well as ringed and Caspian seals. Contrary to popular belief, only harp seals and some ringed seals live in the Arctic and Subarctic. The rest are found in relatively warm regions of the temperate climate zone: long-snouted seals - at the latitude of the southern part of Canada and the British Isles, ringed seals - in the Baltic Sea and Lake Ladoga, Caspian seals - in the Caspian Sea. To give birth to offspring, they go to colder places where there is ice. For example, the Caspian seal migrates in winter to the freezing waters of the north of the Caspian Sea-lake, and in warm times returns back to its southern deep-sea part.
Origin of the species and description
Photo: Baikal seal
There are different opinions about the ancestors of the Baikal pinniped and its closest species: the Caspian seal, the ringed seal and the common seal. The separation of species occurred about 2.2 million years ago. During times of cooling, the Pleistocene era, r. The Lena flowed from Lake Baikal, and at that time there were a large number of freshwater lakes there.
The ancestors of the modern Baikal inhabitants, moving away from the advancing glaciers, migrated from the Arctic Ocean along a system of fresh water bodies. The ancestors of this species, as scientists suggest, evolved faster and acquired characteristic differences. The Baikal pinniped was first mentioned by explorers at the beginning of the 17th century, and a scientific description was made by researchers led by G. Gmelin. They were members of an expedition heading to Kamchatka and led by Bering.
Baikal inhabitants live about 50 years. Their weight grows until the age of twenty-five and reaches up to 70 kg for females and up to 80 kg for males. It remains at this level for up to 35 years, then the weight and size of the animals gradually decreases to 60-70 kg. The weight of mammals older than 10 years also fluctuates throughout the season. From spring to autumn, females gain 12 kg of fat, and males gain 17 kg; by the age of 25, the increase in basic weight can be 20-30 kg. There are individuals over 100 kg. The height of adult pinnipeds is 133-143 cm at the beginning of summer, and 140-149 cm (female-male) by November.
The lifestyle and characteristics of the seal
Seals are among the relict representatives of wildlife. In appearance, they are very similar to seals: they have a small head and a spindle-shaped body that ends in two flippers. But there is also a difference: of all the seals, the seal has the most modest size. The average length of the animal is 1 m 60 cm with a weight of 60 to 140 kg. The cervical region is practically not expressed, the head has a muzzle that looks like a cat's.
The mammal has no ears, but there are auditory openings on the head, covered by a fold of skin. The seal has dark, expressive eyes that appear especially large when young. When exposed to air for a long time, the eyes secrete a moisturizing secretion, then it seems as if the animal is crying. A special feature of the seal's eyes is the presence of a third eyelid, which protects them from damage under water. After diving into the sea or lake, the animal's nostrils and ear canals close tightly.
Most seals live in the frosty climate of the northern seas. A thick layer of fat allows them to feel comfortable. Fat reserves save the seal when there is a lack of food supply, and also allow you to sleep peacefully while lying on the water surface. The skin of the mammal is very thick and dense, it is covered with very thick fine hair. Along with a thick fat layer, the skin also perfectly protects the animal from the cold.
The seal's flippers are quite strong, they make it possible to move quickly on the ground or ice. The front flippers have sharp claws. They prevent slipping on the ice and help make a hole in the ice layer to get a portion of fresh air.
A seal can stay under water for more than an hour. They can sleep soundly while rocking on the sea waves. In this state, they do not see or hear anything; they can approach the animals and even touch them.
In winter, seals prefer to stay in the water, and in the spring they come to land. Typically, mammals choose one safe place to which they return every year. Seals have keen eyesight, good hearing and a sensitive sense of smell. When they are awake, it is almost impossible to get close to the animals. When an enemy appears, seals quickly crawl towards the water and go deeper. While underwater, the animal can reach a speed of about 27 km/h. On land they move more slowly, using their flippers and tail.
Baikal seal resting on an ice floe
INTERESTING FACT . Unlike their freshwater relatives, sea seals spend most of their lives on land. They leave it only to find food or run away from enemies.
Seals are very curious and playful animals. Species living in the seas like to swim up to drifting ships and swim after them for a while.
Sexual demorphism in seals differs depending on the habitat. For example, in the Baikal seal, the female is larger than the male. For the marine species it’s the other way around.
How many years does he live?
Under favorable climatic conditions and a small number of natural enemies, the seal can live up to 45-56 years. Baikal representatives are considered record holders for the number of years lived. In the wild, mammals usually reach 10-17 years of age. The age of a seal can be determined by looking at the annual stripes that are visible on its claws and fangs.
What does it eat?
The menu of the Baikal seal includes fish of species not valuable to humans. Over the course of 12 months, an adult is capable of destroying up to 1 ton of fish. Seals hunt representatives of the family of gobies, dace, and perch. In addition to fish, seals living in the seas eat crustaceans. Their favorite fish are herring and sprat.
Natural enemies
The ringed seal, which lives in Arctic waters, has the most enemies. Adults are attacked by northern bears, and babies often become victims of small predators. Underwater, a seal can be attacked by a northern shark or killer whale. Caspian seals are attacked by wolves, and their pups sometimes die from eagles.
The Baikal seal can become a victim of a bear. When mothers leave their pups unattended, they may be attacked by foxes or white-tailed eagles.
Seals maintain an ice-free hole
Animals can also become infected with harmful microorganisms, which contributes to weakness and subsequent death. In the late 1980s, many seals suffered from a plague epidemic.
Origin of seals
It is not yet clear how the seal ended up in Lake Baikal. One of the most likely assumptions is that it moved to fresh water from the Northern Ocean through large rivers during the Ice Age. It is also possible for it to penetrate through the Lena River.
The first mention of the seal dates back to the 17th century, it is in the records of the participants of the expedition of V. Bering. It included a detachment that conducted research on Lake Baikal under the leadership of I. G. Gmelin. He studied in detail the natural features of Baikal, and also mentioned the seal. The Aborigines say that one or two centuries earlier this species was found in the Baunt ponds. It is assumed that the mammal swam to them along the Lena River.
