What animals do seals eat? Do they eat penguins?

Seals mainly eat fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. They will eat penguins, but they are not their main food. Scientists have found many times in Marion Island, sub-Antarctic, that male seals actually press on emperor penguins much smaller than them and force them to mate regardless of sex. Among them, a seal even ate the penguin that was invaded by himself after mating.

Seals have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat to keep warm, provide food reserves and generate buoyancy. Seals are all spindle-shaped and suitable for swimming. Their heads are round and look like domestic dogs. They are all hairy and their forelimbs are shorter than their hind limbs. From the South Pole to the North Pole, from seawater to freshwater lakes, there are seals' footprints. Antarctic seals have the largest number, followed by Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean.

Extended data

Seals live in cold temperate waters, and spend the rest of their time swimming, foraging or playing in the sea except when they need to go to the ice, beach or rocks during spawning, rest and molting.

Breeding period is not clustered. The cubs form a family group after birth, and the family group ends after lactation. Giving birth on the ice, when the ice melts, the cubs begin to live independently in the water. A few individuals whose reproductive period has been postponed have to give birth on the coastal beach.

Under natural conditions, seals sometimes wander in the sea and sometimes go ashore to rest. When landing, choose the sandbar in the inner bay and the rocky reef on the shore that can be submerged by high tide. Seals can swim very well, with a speed of 27 kilometers per hour. At the same time, they are good at diving. Generally, it can dive about 100 meters, while the Weddell seal in Antarctic waters can dive more than 600 meters deep for 43 minutes.

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