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How long can you hold your breath? The answer for most people is one minute, maybe two at the most. Seals have us humans beat by a long shot!
Some seals can hold their breath underwater for up to two hours. They may dive down more than a mile, taking as long as 30 minutes to reach the deepest part of the dive. The elephant seal actually sleeps during part of this time. . . while it’s holding its breath! Of the 34 kinds of seals, many live in the icy waters of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans.
Seals are marine mammals. That means they are animals that depend on marine, or ocean, environments for their survival. Their long body is shaped like a cylinder that’s tapered at both ends. This shape lets them cut through water easily. Most seals have a thick layer of blubber, or fat, under their skin that helps them stay warm. ▶
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What’s the difference between a true seal, a fur seal, and a sea lion?
Sea lions and fur seals have small ears you can see. True seals (also known as earless seals) do not. Instead, they have ear holes. Blubber helps keep sea lions warm, just as it does for true seals. Fur seals rely on their thick fur. Sea lions and fur seals have long front flippers, while true seals have short ones.
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▲ True seals move differently on land than sea lions and fur seals. Their hind flippers do not rotate to point forward. As a result, a true seal moves on land in a caterpillar-like motion called galumphing. Sea lions and fur seals can rotate their back flippers to point forward so they can “walk” on land.
◀ Seals spend half or more of their time in water. They sleep during some of this time. But with predators like killer whales and sharks around, they need to keep watch. And they do. When they’re in water, seals sleep with only half their brain. The other half is alert for predators.
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▲ Northern elephant seals have one of the longest migrations of any mammal. Twice a year they travel from the coasts of California and Mexico to find food off the Alaskan coast in the north Pacific Ocean. The two migrations are about 13,000 miles in total and take 250 to 300 days a year.
A seal may “haul out,” or come onto land, to help regulate its body temperature, even on cold, cloudy days.
