Seals are commonly found throughout the world but are especially plentiful
in polar seas. Some species or kinds like the open ocean, while others prefer
to live along the coast. All seals mostly spend some time on islands, shores,
or sheets of ice.
Seals have got streamlined bodies with a thick layer
of fat called blubber below the skin. Seals are intelligent and very good swimmers
and divers. The seal has a body perfectly adapted for life in the water. Their
body is shaped to go through the water with a minimum of resistance. This is called
"streamlining". The flippers of seals propel them through the water.
Fur Seals and Sea Lions use their front flippers like wings to 'fly' through the
water. Some can remain underwater for a stretch of more than 30 minutes. Swimming
away is one of the ways that seals deal with their enemies, which include humans,
killer whales, polar bears, and sharks.
Seals have been and still hunted
for their meat, hides, oil, and fur. Seals were hunted extensively for their fur
in Australia, even up to earlier this century. Today all seals are protected by
law.
