Seals how many babies

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This fantastic wetland site is located north of Southport town centre and has some of the best wildlife in the region. It seems like a strange time to do it, when icy winds are blowing and the nights are long. One explanation is that after a summer of catching fish, the females are simply in great shape to feed their young. When pups are born the mothers spin round to sniff them and get to know their smell. The pups are covered in fluffy white fur, not good camouflage on sand or pebbles you might think, but that's because it's a relic from the ice age when they would have been born on snow!

Female grey seals are dedicated parents, spending several weeks feeding their pups and losing up-to 65kg in the process. The pups drink two and a half litres of milk every day and it's so rich pups can grow by as much as 30kg in two weeks. After a month or so, females leave their pups and head back out to sea where they feed and mate again. The pups can spend up to two weeks all alone on the beach while they build up the courage and the right fur to take the plunge into the sea and learn to fish for themselves.

How long can you hold your breath underwater? Probably not much more than a minute. A seal can stay below the surface for eight minutes at a time. Molting Pinnipeds, like other mammals, must replace old skin and hair. Most animals shed hairs year-round, but elephant seals do it all at once. The molting process is so abrupt in the elephant seal that it is called a catastrophic molt.

Feeding At sea, elephant seals typically dive 20 minutes to a depth of 1, to 2, feet in search of food: rays, skates, rat fish, squid, and small sharks. The maximum recorded depth is 5, feet.

The females eat nothing while they are giving birth, nursing, and mating, and the males go without food for up to three months at that time. They are preyed upon by killer whales and sharks. Development Females give birth for the first time at an average age of and have an average life expectancy of about 20 years.

Males are mature at five years, don't reach high rank until 8, with prime breeding years between Males have a life expectancy of 14 years. Pup mortality is also high, due to predators, starvation, and abandonment—in the study, 75 percent died before they could have pups of their own. But supermoms tend to raise young that survive. All rights reserved. Live fast, die young. Share Tweet Email.

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Go Further. Animals Climate change is shrinking many Amazonian birds. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Dominic says, 'If the seals are put in danger by high tides or strong winds, they can come right up into the dunes here at Horsey and take shelter. Grey seals haul out on beaches in the winter to birth, and in the spring to moult.

For most of the year, grey seals spend their time in the ocean, swimming up to Scotland and Iceland and back. They follow herring shoals and other fish. They spend three weeks ashore weaning their newborn pups with fatty milk, before abandoning their young and mating again. After they have mated, adult seals will take to the sea to feed.

The pups gain weight quickly, tripling their birth weight in just three weeks. Typically, a pup will go from weighing about 15 kilogrammes to 45 kilogrammes during its time on the beach. After three weeks of suckling, a pup will spend another few weeks resting and growing its waterproof coat before following the adults into the water. Although grey seals are the top of the food chain, they can face dangers. While lying on beaches, pups can be hurt by high tides, strong winds, dog bites and human contact.

If humans were to touch the pups, the mums would immediately desert them and they would starve. Fishing gear and marine plastic can also kill seals , and this year there have been many reports of seals getting Frisbees stuck around their necks. Animal charities and centres up and down the country work to rescue and rehabilitate injured animals, returning some of them safely to the sea.

If you are going to visit seal colonies, remember to keep a safe and respectful distance, keep dogs on leads and never touch the seals. Adult males are aggressive during pupping season and can be a danger to dogs and humans if you get too close. Never try to put a seal pup into the ocean - they will go when they are ready. The seals return to Horsey for the annual moulting season during March and April.

The beach is fully open during this time, and FOHS volunteers are on hand to monitor the animals.