Fauna
← Back to the articleAnimal profile · Fauna articles

Seals

This reading profile brings together 11 source-linked articles that reference seals.

Explore Fauna’s source-checked field guides and research articles covering seals, or search the species catalog below for individual species profiles.
Across Fauna

Source-linked reading

  1. Field guideHow marine mammals diveMarine mammals dive on one breath by carrying substantial oxygen in blood and muscle, adjusting heart rate and circulation, tolerating low oxygen, and managing gases as pressure rises. These responses are flexible and differ greatly between shallow and deep divers.
  2. Field guideWhy mammals have whiskersA whisker is a lever seated in a specialized, nerve-rich follicle. Contact or fluid motion bends the shaft and stimulates receptors at its base; the nervous system combines that signal with the whisker’s position and the animal’s own movement to infer what is nearby.
  3. Field guideFieldcraft: getting closer without disturbingFieldcraft is patience and controlled movement, used only where quiet observation is safe. The goal is to avoid disrupting the animal, not to approach unseen.
  4. Field guideFollowing tidal wildlife rhythmsPlan observations by predicted high or low water and rising or falling phase, record actual conditions and habitat exposure, compare equal windows relative to tide, and add lunar spring-neap stage and weather.
  5. Field guideHow close is too close to wildlife?Viewing distances vary by jurisdiction, species, activity, season, and site. Some are enforceable rules; others are official guidance. Check the place-specific requirement and back away whenever wildlife responds to you.
  6. Field guideHow snails build shellsA snail does not move into a larger shell. Its living mantle adds material at the aperture and can thicken inner surfaces, so the shell records continuous accretion from the tiny oldest apex to the newest outer lip.
  7. Field guideReading an estuaryEstuaries are partly enclosed waters influenced by coastal water and freshwater. Their depth, exposed area, currents, salinity, and wildlife access shift with tides, river flow, weather, and season.
  8. Field guideWhy leaves change colorAutumn color is not a coat painted onto a green leaf. As chlorophyll production slows and chlorophyll breaks down, other pigments become visible or are produced, with species and conditions shaping the result.
  9. Field guideCoast, tide, and cold waterTide, surf, and water temperature can change a safe-looking wildlife stop into an emergency. Check current local conditions before leaving, keep an exit route, and know how to float and call for help.
  10. Field guideEstimating animal size from a distanceUse a reference in the same plane or a calibrated photogrammetric setup, measure defined landmarks, account for distance and perspective, repeat across suitable frames, and report a range rather than pretending a visual impression is exact.
  11. Field guideWhy sea otters use toolsA hard object can act as a hammer, a portable chest anvil, or a fixed anvil, letting an otter pry loose or fracture prey that teeth and paws alone handle less efficiently. The behavior is flexible rather than compulsory, and it is especially associated with hard-shelled snails and bivalves.