Weddell Seals

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Weddell Seals
By Anna , Carolina and Jazel
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Appearance

• Weddell seals were named for the British
  Antarctic explorer James Weddell. The Weddell
  seal has short, thick blue-gray fur. Their
  bellies are a lighter color than the rest of
  their body.

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Appearance

• Weddell seals can grow up to 11 feet long and can
  weigh up to 1,200 pounds! The male seals are not
  as big as the females.

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Habitat

• Weddell seals are mammals that live in
• Antarctica. They sometimes travel north as far
  as New Zealand or even Australia.

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What they eat

• Weddell seals are meat eaters. Weddell seals are
  fast swimmers so they can catch fish, squid and
  octopus. They also eat crabs.

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Diving

• Weddell seals are also good divers. They can go
  down to 2,600 feet to find food. They can stay
  under the water for up to an hour!

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How They Eat

• Seals dont chew their food they swallow it in
  large chunks. They eat their food underwater.

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Ears or Earless?

• Some seals have little ear flaps that cover their
  ears. They are called eared seals. All other
  seals do not have ear flaps. They are called
  earless seals.

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Earless Seals

• Weddell seals are earless seals. Earless seals
  can only turn their back flippers. Earless seals
  cannot move very fast on land. They move like
  caterpillars on land, but in water they swim
  side to side, like fish. Earless seals are better
  swimmers than eared seals.

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Baby Seals

• Female seals have one baby a year. A baby seal is
  called a pup. Females give birth to one pup from
  September to November. Pups are born on the ice.
  All seal pups are born with very soft white fur
  and their eyes are open. Seal pups can walk and
  bark soon after they are born. The mother seal
  feeds the pup milk when it is born. They stay
  with their mothers for only five to six weeks.
  Weddell seals can live up to 25 years.

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Baby pictures
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Protecting Seals

• Weddell seals are hunted by killer whales,
  leopard seals, and people. They are used as food
  for sled dogs.

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What we think about seals

• We should do as much as we can to make sure that
  these animals do not become endangered or even
  worse, extinct.

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• Special thanks to our fifth grade helpers
• Danilsa
• and
• Marian