Most seals live in the arctics and survive because they have a layer of thick fat called blubber. Seals and sea lions live their lives in the water but come on land to bask in the sun. They come up during the breeding season and like the deep sea water. It provides those fish and keeps them alive and healthy. Seals live in places where any disturbances are minimal. They like islands and rocky shores close to food sources. They also like sandbars. They can feed in the cold open waters so that they have a variety of fish. Harbour seals belong to the order of Pinnipedia which includes seals, sea lions and walruses. Seals are different then sea lions in a number of ways including having shorter, stouter flippers and no visible ear flaps.
Seal pups are born in spring and summer and enter the water immediately! Sexual maturity in seals happens at 3-6 for females and 3-7 for males. The name Phoca Vitulina is the scientific name for the harbour seal and means, “sea calf” or “sea dog.” It is because they resemble a dog when their heads pop up above the water. A group of seals is called a herd or pod. Seals have torpedo shaped bodies and short paddle like limbs and thick layers of blubber that insulates their organs. Harbour seals have larger eyes for good underwater vision. A mucous membrane continually washes their eyes in order to protect them. However, their vision on land is not that great. They do not have color vision. However, there have been mothers and pups found that were blind and they had adapted just fine. Seals rely on their whiskers to locate food in deep dark waters. Mothers identify the pups the same way.
Seals can dive to depths of 1700 feet! Seals hearing are extremely developed but their taste is not. Their average life span is 20-25 years. Adult seals eat molluscs, squid, herring, flounder, salmon etc. They can consume five to six percent of their body weight. They have threats from fishing nets and packing materials. They sometimes eat plastic materials which can cause starvation and obstructions in their digestive tracts. Seals are one of the best swimmers in the world because of their flippers and fins that make them glide through the water at a fast speed. Seals can swim underwater for 40 minutes or more.
Animal Fun Facts
Fun Facts on Seals, seals, seals fact
Lions are not called the “king of the jungle” for nothing. They have existed on earth for 2 million years or longer. Male lions can reach a length of 10 feet and weigh between 300 to 500 pounds or more! Female lions are a little smaller. Lions inhabit a range of open plains and forests. Lions are actually the most social of the feline species. Lions hunt large animals such as zebra and wildebeest. The lifespan of lions is 15 years and up to 25 in captivity. They are Africa’s largest carnivore. Female lions give birth to a litter of cubs every 2 years. The gestation is three and half months. A litter could have 1-5 cubs and they nurse for the first 6 months. A group of lions is called a “pride.”
Male lions will mark their territory with urine as do domestic felines. Female lions actually do most of the hunting. The hyena will compete with the lion for prey. Lions face endangerment and have for many years from hunting and habitat. Only the male lions have the long, shaggy mane. The fuller and darker the mane the healthier the lion. Believe it or not lions are listed as vulnerable on the World Conservation Unions Red List of Threatened Animals. Lion cubs are born with grayish spots that disappear at 3 months. Male lions reach sexual maturity at 5 years of age and females mature at 4 years old. If a lion roars you can hear it 5 miles away. There were white lions in the late 20th century.
Lions don’t hunt during the day. They hunt at night right through till dawn. A female lion needs 11 pounds of meat a day. A male needs 15 pounds or more a day. Lions can’t roar until the age of 2. Lions have a tendency to pick up poisoned meat and then get poisoned themselves. If one lion kills another when joining a pride the defeated lions cubs will be killed. In the lion pride the strongest eat first. The males will eat until they are satisfied then the lioness eats and the cubs are last. The cubs will usually die from starvation. To avoid fatal results in a fight weaker lions will lie on their back signaling defeat. Lions were said to be kept in the tower of London! Lions will fiercely defend their pride from other lions.
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Fun Facts on Lions, lion facts, lions
The name mouse comes from “mus”, a Sanskrit word that actually means thief. Did you know that mice will stay on a table because they are afraid to jump off high vertical drops? Mice can make their own vitamin C. Mice actually enjoy eating hard bread. Mice will nurse babies that are not their own. Baby mice curl up when they are being carried. People would worship mice in temples. Greeks and Indians thought mice were lightning bolts. Japanese bred white mice 300 years ago. There are people who have actually bred blue mice! Mice don’t have roots on their incisors. There are over 1,100 species of mice who are the family Muridae from the Old World family.
Mice in active breeding colonies thrive on the higher fat content and protein in this high energy diet which helps to increase production and keep mice active and somewhat amusing. In ancient stories it was thought that mice punished evil people. A baby mouse is called a pinky or kitten. There are some people who believe that fried mice or mouse pie is a cure for bed wetting! Yuck! A female mouse is called a “doe.” That is strange? A male mouse of course is called a buck! Mice have tails that are as long as their bodies. There are mice that have no hair! The word mouse comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “thief”.
The famous Mickey Mouse was born in 1928. The average mouse lives around 1-2 years. A full grown mouse weighs in at ½ to 1 ounce. In ancient Greece the God Apollo was sometimes called Apollo Smintheus which is Apollo the Mouse. White mice were kept in his temples under the altar to honour him. There were ancient cultures that had a lot of respect for mice. In Egypt a cooked mouse was used to cure a variety of ills and sicknesses including stomach aches. You should never pick a mouse up by its tail. It is true that mice will eat constantly and aren’t picky about what they eat! The first mice arrived in North America as stowaways on ships from Europe.
Unfortunately, mice are known as pests. The most common species is the house mouse. They can harm crops and spread diseases. They are social animals and prefer to be in a large group. They tend to nibble many foods and thus contaminate larger amounts of food in the process making it garbage.
Animal Fun Facts
Fun Facts about Mice, mice, mice facts