Seals are furry, aquatic carnivorous mammals that are quite adorable to look at.Most species of this marine mammal are usually found in colder areas such as around the Arctic and Antarctic circles, and follow a seafood-based diet. There are many seal species like the ringed seal, elephant seal, bearded seal, gray seal, Baikal seal, Ross seal, harp seal, and leopard seal.Though seals eat mainly fish and crustaceans, their diet may vary depending on the species as well as where they live. Seals usually have sharp teeth and strong jaws which help them to pierce fish and crush the shells of crustaceans, which make up a large percentage of their diets. Despite having pointy teeth, seals usually swallow their prey whole, and adult seals will eat around 5% of their entire body weight daily. This might not seem a lot, but the average seal weighs 880 lb (400 kg), meaning that it will consume around 44 lb (20 kg) of food per day! Despite seals looking quite friendly, they can be vicious predators which is why it is always advised to stay away from any wild seal you may encounter. Seals have excellent hearing, as well as long sensitive whiskers which help them to find prey. In captivity, seals are fed krill, squid, octopus, and small fish which is similar to what they would hunt in the wild. To learn more about what seals eat in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, read on!If you enjoyed this article, you may also like our pages on what do parrots eat and what do prairie dogs eat?What do elephant seals eat?There are two subspecies of elephant seal, the northern elephant seal and the southern elephant seal. They are inherently the same, with the species name only differentiating between their natural habitats. Northern elephant seals are found in the North Pacific Ocean, ranging from the sandy beaches of California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico, to Alaska.They are named after elephants, which they greatly resemble with their large bodies and long, trunk-like noses.Elephant seals usually live near the mainland, around beaches, and in other remote areas. However, for food they venture out into deeper waters, searching for prey at depths of 1000-2000 ft (304-610 m). They usually feed on small sharks, rays, and squids in marine waters, as well as various types of fish and mollusks. They are also one of the known predators of penguins. They also feed on Arctic hares and bunnies that stray too close to the water.What do Weddell seals eat?Weddell seals are quite huge compared to other seals, despite their adorable appearance. They usually spend most of their time under the ice in the Antarctic circle. Due to this, they feed mostly on aquatic species found in the middle and bottom layers of the ocean. They enjoy feasting on various shellfish, prawns, squid, octopus, silverfish, tuna, and codfish.The Weddell seal uses ice holes in order to dive into the freezing cold waters and forage for food. They usually spend their time on land, however, during storms and ice blizzards, they take refuge in these holes, with their entire bodies submerged and just their snouts poking out in order to help them breathe.What do Ross seals eat?Ross seals are a type of true seal and are the smallest, as well as least abundant species of seal found in Antarctica.Mostly, they feed on fish and other marine species such as squid found in the mid-layer or pelagic zone of the ocean. Like other seals, they do not attack humans, though they are drawn towards warm-blooded mammals as prey. The only known seal species to attack humans are leopard seals.What do crabeater seals eat?Crabeater seals are the most common true seals in Antarctica, and despite their given name, do not really eat that much crab!These earless seals have specially evolved teeth that help them to consume huge quantities of krill- which is their main food source. They use their special teeth to swim rapidly through huge swarms of krill, catching them between their jaws, filtering out the seawater. The large availability of krill naturally has led to the natural crabeater seal population soaring. They also feed on various squid, octopus, and various fish.They were mistakenly named by early whalers, who believed that these seals thrived by feeding on crustaceans. However, crabs are actually not that easily found in Antarctica! Despite this error, the unfortunate name has stuck. Crabeater seal pups are preyed on by the vicious leopard seal.What do brown fur seals eat?Brown fur seals actually live in warmer habitats than other seals and are found along the southern coasts of Africa and Australia.They are the largest type of furred seals and can be characterized by their matted, brown coats. Being carnivorous in nature, they feed on goby fish, tuna, sardines, anchovies, crustaceans, and mackerel fish. They also hunt down and eat African penguins that get too close.What do leopard seals eat?Leopard seals, also known as sea leopards due to their vicious, leopard-like nature as well as their spotted white coats, are reminiscent of snow leopards. These fur seals can usually be found in harsh, cold conditions in Antarctica, living peacefully in climates that humans would never be able to survive comfortably in. This species also has external ears, unlike true seals, making them eared seals.Despite their ferocious reputation, leopard seals actually do not attack humans unprovoked. There have been a few instances of leopard seals attacking and killing human beings, however, whether these were done with intent to kill or by accident is yet to be known. They do not eat humans that they kill.Besides krill, which makes up for most of their diet, these seals may feed on penguins, squid, octopus, fish, as well as penguins. They are notably known to hunt King and Emperor penguins. They have even been observed feeding on the pups of other seals, such as crabeater, Weddell, and Antarctic fur baby seals.Though seals are quite skilled hunters and are crucial in keeping the food chain of the Arctic and Antarctic regions intact, there are a number of predators that consider seals a part of their diet. Seals are hunted by larger mammals and aquatic creatures such as killer whales, polar bears, sharks, humans as well as leopard seals themselves!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what do seals eat then why not take a look at what do quail eat, or seal facts.
Seals are furry, aquatic carnivorous mammals that are quite adorable to look at.
