sea lions

Ranger Rick Zoobooks: Seals & Sea Lions

By
Read It!Zoobooks Seals and Sea Lions
Seals, sea lions, and walruses spend part of their lives on land and part of their lives in water. On land, they can look clumsy. But underwater, they are so fast and graceful they almost seem to fly. To help them zip through the water, these animals have flippers instead of arms and legs. The flippers look a bit like wings, and this is why seals, sea lions, and walruses are all called pinnipeds,  which means “wing-footed.”

 

Pinnipeds are marine mammals. They have lungs and must breathe air to stay alive. Their babies are born alive, and the babies get milk from their mothers. They have hair that covers their bodies.

 

Most pinnipeds live in cold places. They can be found close to the North Pole, and the South Pole too. In such places, seals often spend a lot of time swimming under huge blocks of ice looking for food. But some pinnipeds skip the snow and ice. Sea lions enjoy California, and there are seals that live in Hawaii and the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Adult male pinnipeds are called bulls. Adult females are called cows. Baby seals are called pups until they are about five months old, and then they are called yearlings. A young walrus is called a calf.
sea lions

Ranger Rick Zoobooks: Seals & Sea Lions

By
Read It!Zoobooks Seals and Sea Lions
Seals, sea lions, and walruses spend part of their lives on land and part of their lives in water. On land, they can look clumsy. But underwater, they are so fast and graceful they almost seem to fly. To help them zip through the water, these animals have flippers instead of arms and legs. The flippers look a bit like wings, and this is why seals, sea lions, and walruses are all called pinnipeds,  which means “wing-footed.”

 

Pinnipeds are marine mammals. They have lungs and must breathe air to stay alive. Their babies are born alive, and the babies get milk from their mothers. They have hair that covers their bodies.

 

Most pinnipeds live in cold places. They can be found close to the North Pole, and the South Pole too. In such places, seals often spend a lot of time swimming under huge blocks of ice looking for food. But some pinnipeds skip the snow and ice. Sea lions enjoy California, and there are seals that live in Hawaii and the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Adult male pinnipeds are called bulls. Adult females are called cows. Baby seals are called pups until they are about five months old, and then they are called yearlings. A young walrus is called a calf.