Seals (Endangered!)

ENDANGERED!

S L A E S Johannah Haney and Anna Haney-Withrow

Marshall Cavendish Benchmark 99 White Plains Road Tarrytown, New York 10591 www.marshallcavendish.us Text copyright © 2011 by Marshall Cavendish Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright holders. All websites were available and accurate when this book was sent to press. Editor: Peter Mavrikis Publisher: Michelle Bisson Art Director: Anahid Hamparian Series Designer: Elynn Cohen Cover Design by Kay Petronio Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Haney, Johannah. Seals / by Johannah Haney and Anna Haney-Withrow. p. cm. — (Endangered!) Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: “Describes the characteristics, behavior, and plight of endangered seals, and what people can do to help”—Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-0-7614-4053-6 1. Seals (Animals)—Juvenile literature. I. Haney-Withrow, Anna. II. Title. QL737.P6H36 2011 599.79—dc22 2009020558 Front cover: Harp seal cub in snow Title page: Elephant Seal pups, Piedras Blancas, CA Back cover: Guadalupe Fur Seal (top); Walrus swimming in the Arctic (bottom) Photo research by Paulee Kestin Front cover: Doug Allan/Getty Images The photographs in this book are used by permission and through the courtesy of: AP: Julie Markes, 41. Arnold: Reinhard, H., 4; Andre Seale, 9; © Biosphoto / Bruemmer Fred, 11; © Biosphoto / Gunther Michel, 12; Chlaus Lotscher, 14; © Biosphoto / BIOS ; Bios - Auteurs (droits geres) ; Marquez Francisco, 23. Corbis: © Jonathan Blair, 23; © Paul A. Souders, 31; © Wolfgang Kaehler, 36. Getty: JupiterImages, 32; Joe Raedle, 34; altrendo nature, 40; Matt Cardy, 42; Kevin Schafer, 43. Ivy Images: M Baird, title page; P. Hall, NOAA, 1; W. Lynch, 7; N. Lightfoot, 18; F. Bruemmer, back cover (bottom). Minden: Konrad Wothe, 26. Nature Picture Library: © Konstantin Mikhailov, 38. Oceanlight: Phillip Colla/www.oceanlight.com, 16, back cover (top). Photo Researchers: Alexis Rosenfeld, 28. Printed in Malaysia (T) 123456

Contents Chapter 1

Pinnipeds

Chapter 2

Seals of the World

17

Chapter 3

Endangered Seals

27

Chapter 4

Saving Seals

37

Glossary

44

Find Out More

46

Index

47

5

1

Pinnipeds

W

ith their expressive eyes, charming whiskers, and comic way of walking, seals have captured the hearts of many people who have come to care greatly about what happens to them. Sadly, some types of seals are endangered, and others are close to becoming endangered. Happily, there are many steps people can take to help these endearing animals and make sure that they flourish in the wild. The Hawaiian monk seal shown here is among the most endangered species of pinnipeds in the world. Conservationists are working around the clock to save this and other seals from extinction.

•5•

SEALS

Seals are mammals. That means they are warm-blooded (their body temperatures are controlled internally). Mammals also give birth to live offspring, rather than laying eggs, and mothers nurse their babies with milk. The scientific name for seals is pinnipeds. The word “pinniped” means, “fin-footed.” Seals have a layer of blubber (fat) that helps them float in water and protects them from the cold. They also rely on their blubber for energy

A fur seal hauls out on a rocky shore in Alaska to take a breath and rest.

•6•

Pinnipeds

when food is scarce. Seals dive into the sea to search for fish, squid, and other food to eat. Because they are mammals, they breathe air and must come to the surface—or haul out—to take a deep breath and rest, although seals can hold their breath for very long periods of time. To help them save energy during their long dives, seals’ hearts slow down while they are swimming. On land, a seal’s heart might beat 50 to 100 times per minute. When

Seals in icy waters surface through the same hole again and again to make sure the hole does not ice over while they swim.

•7•

Seal Whiskers One of the most endearing features of seals is their whiskers. Whiskers help seals find food in dark ocean waters. Each individual whisker—called a vibrissa—can move on its own and sends a message to the brain when it senses vibrations in the water. When a fish swims by and the surrounding water responds by vibrating, a seal knows its dinner could be close.

a seal is diving or swimming underwater, its heart can slow down to as few as 10 beats per minute. The southern elephant seal can dive 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) deep in the sea and stay underwater for up to two hours. Seals’ fins allow them to power through water quickly so they can catch as many fish as possible before they must return to the surface for a breath. In Arctic waters seals make holes in the thick surface ice so that they have a spot to come to the surface to breathe. They push through the same hole again and again to keep it from icing over.

•8•

Pinnipeds

Seals use their whiskers to detect motion in the waters around them. Their flat back teeth can crush the shells of crustaceans, releasing morsels of good food.

REPRODUCTION Seals mate once each year. The place where seals breed is called a rookery. Males (bulls) often mate with more than one female (cow) and defend their harem—the group of seal cows they consider their own—from other males. Seal cows give birth to a single pup each year.

•9•

SEALS

When a seal pup is born, the mother seal sniffs her baby and memorizes the sound of its cry. This is an important ritual for seals. If a seal pup and its mother are separated, they can find each other by smell and by sound. Seals are very good mothers and will return to their babies to feed and protect them if they are able. Seal cows feed their pups milk. The milk is very rich and contains about

Harp seal pups’ white coats help them to blend in with the surrounding ice, camouflaging them to protect them from predators.

• 10 •

50 percent fat. This helps the seal pup grow its own layer of blubber. Different seal species nurse their pups for different lengths of time. The Galapagos fur seal nurses pups for one to two years, while hooded seals nurse their young for only four or five days. When it is time to stop feeding her pup, a seal cow leaves the youngster on land and does not return. The little seal is ready to swim and find its own fish to eat. While it is learning, it uses stored energy from its blubber to stay alive.

MOLTING A seal’s coat needs to be replaced so that it is in good

• 11 •

Coats of Many Colors Seal pups shed their fur early in life. Harp seals are born with yellowish fur and are known as yellow coats. Within a few days their fur turns pure white. They are called white coats during this time. After two or three weeks, they are known as ragged jackets because their fur becomes uneven and spotted with gray and black. When their coats are fully grown in, they are called beaters. After a harp seal is one year old, it is known as a bedlamer until it reaches adulthood in about three years.

SEALS

This northern elephant seal is undergoing a catastrophic molt, in which it sheds its pelt—fur and top layer of skin. It will rapidly grow a silky new pelt that will keep it warm for the coming year in cold waters.

• 12 •

Pinnipeds

enough shape to keep its owner warm and protected. Unlike animals such as cats or dogs, who shed their fur a little at a time, some seals shed their entire coat and then grow a new one in a very short period of time. Elephant seals and Hawaiian monk seals undergo a catastrophic molt, which means they shed both their fur and also the top layer of skin and rapidly regrow them in a short period of time. Most adult seals molt soon after breeding.

COMMUNICATION Seals communicate most when they feel threatened. Male seals also warn off other male seals when they are trying to establish a harem for breeding. Different types of pinnipeds have different ways of communicating. Earless seals slap their fins against the water. Eared seals communicate with barking yelps. Seal pups and their mothers cry out to find each other in a crowd of other seals. A mother seal can also use such cries to direct her pup around a rock or another barrier. When a seal pup and its mother are reunited, they touch noses to greet each other.

• 13 •

SEALS

Otariids—eared seals—communicate in part by yelping and barking, as the seals pictured here.

• 14 •

Pinnipeds

MIGRATION Some types of seals migrate—move from one place to another at certain times of the year. Seals that live in the Arctic, such as harp seals, migrate to warmer waters in fall and winter, then swim back north for the spring and summer, traveling almost 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers). Elephant seals spend most of the year swimming and taking brief rests, but they haul out for a few months on the Pacific coast of the United States and Mexico to mate, bear pups, and molt. From their rookeries, they may swim up to 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to sea before returning to the comforts of the coast.

• 15 •

SHARKS

• 16 •

2

Seals of the World T

he seals in our world are diverse in their habitats and characteristics. There are many seal species, each with its own features—and each with its own conservation challenges to face.

EARED SEALS AND EARLESS SEALS There are two different types of seals: Otariids, or eared seals, and Phocids, or earless seals. The Guadalupe fur seal, an eared seal, was once considered to be extinct, but was rediscovered in the 1920s. Now its habitats are sanctuaries off California and Mexico, meaning that no one can hunt for seals there.

• 17 •

SEALS

Otariids: The Eared Seals Sea lions and fur seals belong to the family group Otariidae, and they are called eared seals, or Otariids. Otariids move about easily on land because they can walk on their four flippers. They are not as strong swimmers as the earless seals, but they are better at swimming short distances at great speed.

These northern sea lions—also called Stellar sea lions—gather in a populous colony off the coast of Alaska.

• 18 •

Seals of the World

Phocids: The Earless Seals Members of the family Phocidae, or true seals, have slits on the sides of their heads but no earflaps. Most seals belong to this category. They are the most powerful swimmers and can swim very long distances deep in the ocean. It is very cumbersome, though, for them to move on land. Earless seals move by shifting their weight to slide on and off of beaches and ice floes.

GUADALUPE FUR SEAL Marine scientists are still learning about the Guadalupe fur seal, which lives between the Channel Islands of southern California and Cedros Island in Mexico. These seals do not migrate. Adult males measure 6 feet (1.8 m) in length and weigh 300 pounds (136 kilograms). Guadalupe fur seals were not named as a separate species until 1897, although by that time they were thought to be extinct. In 1928, however, a few Guadalupe fur seals were seen on Guadalupe Island. The species is now protected under United States and Mexican law, and some 7,000 of these eared seals swim the coast today.

• 19 •

SEALS

NORTHERN (STELLAR) SEA LION Northern sea lions, also called Stellar sea lions, live in the northern Pacific Ocean from Japan to California. They are large Otariids, with males weighing 1,300 to 2,500 pounds (600 to 1,100 kg) and females weighing about 1,000 pounds (450 kg). Before 1972, people living in China and the Aleutian Islands, as well as fur farmers and other commercial hunters, used these sea lions for food, clothing, and boat sheathing. In 1972 a law called the Marine Mammal Protection Act was enacted, prohibiting hunting northern sea lions in the United States. This law made it illegal to take marine mammals from United States waters or for United States citizens to remove marine mammals from anywhere in the world. Nonetheless, most of the northern sea lion population remains threatened, perhaps because there are fewer fish for them to eat.

HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL Hawaiian monk seals are the second most endangered species of seals in the world, with a scant 1,200 to 1,400 individuals remaining. In the nineteenth century com-

• 20 •

Seals of the World

Hawaiian monk seals are the oldest known pinnipeds. Some call them living fossils for they have lived almost unchanged for 15 million years. Their long life on Earth is now in peril.

mercial sealers and other hunters eliminated much of their population. Recently the numbers have declined even more as ocean pollution and fishing in the area have caused the Hawaiian monk seals’ food supply to dwindle. Seal pups around the Hawaiian islands often get tangled in trash such as bits of old fishing nets. A reserve area, called the Northwest Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, has been set aside to try to protect the Hawaiian

• 21 •

SEALS

Hawaiians call the Hawaiian monk seal, “Ilio holo i ka uaua,” which means, “dog that runs in rough seas.”

monk seals. The area of the reserve is somewhat more than 127,413 square miles (330,000 square km). It is illegal to drill for oil and gas, to dump waste, or to remove coral in this area.

MEDITERRANEAN MONK SEALS

Mediterranean monk seals live in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and off the northwest coast of Africa. They grow to be about 8 feet (2.5 m) long and weigh almost 700 pounds (315 kg). Mediterranean monk seals are the most endangered type of seal in the world. There are fewer than 400 of these seals left in the wild. Some fishermen kill the seals deliberately, because they consider them a nuisance. They also sometimes get trapped in fishing equipment and die. The destruction of their natural habitat and pollution make it more difficult for

• 22 •

Seals of the World

One of the reasons the Mediterranean monk seal is endangered is tourism. They are easily disturbed by human activity and will abandon their traditional habitat as more coastal areas are developed.

• 23 •

SEALS

Mediterranean monk seals to survive. Finally, the seals have fewer fish to eat than ever before. Conservationists are working hard against very difficult circumstances to preserve the Mediterranean monk seal.

NEW ZEALAND SEA LION Living mostly near the Auckland Islands, New Zealand sea lions are one of the most endangered Otariids in the world. Males grow to be 8 to 11 feet long (2.5 to 3.5 m), while females are a little shorter and range between 5 to 6.5 feet (1.5 to 2 m). Females weigh 220 to 330 pounds (100 to 150 kg), but males can be as much as three times that weight. New Zealand sea lions used to thrive on the coast of the New Zealand mainland, but two hundred years ago Polynesian settlers and commercial seal hunters wiped out the mainland population to get the seals’ valuable pelts. The remaining seals around New Zealand are threatened today by fisheries that accidentally tangle sea lions in their fishing nets, predation by sharks and orca whales, human disturbance, and disease. Bacterial infections

• 24 •

Seals of the World

among the seals are a major risk. Half of the sea pups born in the 1997–1998 season died from bacteria. New Zealand’s Department of Conservation is working to aggressively preserve the New Zealand sea lion’s habitat and to find ways to keep the population safe and healthy.

• 25 •

3

Endangered Seals

I

n order to help preserve endangered seals and prevent other seal species from becoming endangered, we must know what causes seal populations to dwindle. Several factors lead to seals’ endangerment, some natural and some for which humans are responsible. This earless seal lives in Lake Baikal in Russia. These seals, called nerpa seals locally, possibly have lived in this lake for some 2 million years. Because of hunting and pollution they are likely to become endangered.

• 27 •

SEALS

NATURAL THREATS Like all animals, seals must deal with natural threats such as predators and unsettled weather. One of the most dramatic natural threats to seals is harmful algal blooms (HABs). These events can be very dangerous to ocean wildlife. In a harmful algal bloom, large groups of growing algae multiply very rapidly, depriving the ecosystem

These bright waves in the Gulf of Tadjoura in the Horn of Africa are green from harmful algal blooms—rapidly multiplying algae.

• 28 •

Endangered Seals

of oxygen, while releasing harmful substances that kill plants, fish, and other animals. Although they do occur naturally, human activity can contribute to algal blooms. Seals living in an area that has experienced a harmful algal bloom may be killed from the poisonous substances in the water or may suffer because the area’s fish, a seal’s main food source, have been killed by the bloom.

DISRUPTION TO SEAL HABITATS Sadly, the largest threats to seals come from humans. People can brutally disrupt seals’ natural habitats without even realizing it. Seals are a part of the ecosystems they live in. All elements of an ecosystem are related and are dependent on all the other elements. Humans have disrupted many ecosystems where seals live by overfishing. Overfishing occurs when fish are removed from the water faster than the populations can replenish themselves. Fish has become an increasingly popular human food because of its health benefits, and advances in technology have enabled people to catch many more fish from the sea than ever before.

• 29 •

SEALS

In areas where fish populations have declined too much, seals do not have enough food to survive and many are undernourished. Being underfed may leave seals more open to diseases. It also leads to seal pups that are born underweight and may have difficulty surviving. Both of these consequences will have a negative effect on the seal population over time. Fishing has yet another harmful impact on seals. Fishing equipment can prove quite dangerous for seals and other ocean mammals. Fishing nets are especially unsafe, as seals can get tangled in them and die. Even when they are able to escape the nets, seals often are injured from their frantic escape attempts and can die from their injuries. Finally, humans have disrupted haul-out sites where seals go to give birth, nurse their young, molt, and mate. Established haul-out sites are used by generations of seals. If these sites are disturbed by humans or other activity, the seals abandon them. When we build along coastal areas and take over beaches for recreation, it reduces the number of safe sites for seals. When seals come into contact with humans, they will

• 30 •

Endangered Seals

The fishnet caught around its neck poses a grave danger to this seal. Conservationists struggle to eliminate threats like these for seals and other marine wildlife.

sometimes flush, or quickly abandon, their spots on land to return to the water. This practice can be harmful to a seal’s health because seals need ample time to rest on land. Even more disturbing, if a startled mother seal returns to the water without her pup, she may abandon the youngster, who has little chance of surviving without her.

• 31 •

SEALS

POLLUTION Pollution affects seals in at least two ways. First, garbage and trash in the water can fatally injure seals, who may become entangled or accidentally swallow the refuse. Also, rubbish that blows in the wind on beaches can frighten seals and cause them to flush. One marine scien-

Garbage littering a beach. Litter can disrupt a seal’s haul-out behavior and puts them at great risk.

• 32 •

Endangered Seals

tist reported seeing 260 seals flush at the sight of a balloon floating across the haul-out site. Second, water pollution from chemicals and other substances can enter ocean waters and make its way up the food chain. For example, seals can become sick from eating fish that have been exposed to waste chemicals. Such fish may have been exposed directly by the water or by way of the plants or smaller fish they have eaten. There is evidence that many seals have chemicals like pesticides in their bodies that originally may have entered ocean waters twenty years earlier. Chemicals in their bodies may reduce seals’ ability to fight off illnesses. In 1988 and 1989, more than 17,000 seals in Europe died from a virus. People referred to the massive die-off as a “seal plague.” Scientists believe pollution may have been part of the reason so many seals became sick and died.

HUNTING People have been hunting seals for at least 4,000 to 5,000 years. Seals are valuable to hunters because of their pelts, blubber, meat, and bones. Long ago, people hunted

• 33 •

SEALS

seals with clubs like baseball bats, and many people still do. A seal-hunting club with a metal spike on one end is called a hakapik. Today, people also hunt seals with rifles. Some stealthy snipers in Arctic areas lurk behind a blind, a screen made of white cloth, so they cannot be detected by the seals.

Conservationists work to enact laws that would make seal hunts such as this one illegal.

• 34 •

Endangered Seals

Seal hunting is legal only in five countries in the world: Canada, Greenland, Namibia, Norway, and Russia. None of the countries that allow seal hunting permits people to hunt endangered species of seals. Each year, the Canadian government sets a quota, which is the overall number of seals that can be killed. Quotas are used to make sure that people do not excessively overhunt seals and cause the populations to become endangered. Some people would like all seal hunting to be illegal. Conservationists are hard at work on this and other vital issues, trying to protect seals and their ecosystems.

• 35 •

4

Saving Seals C

onservationists and others are working hard to prevent endangered seals from becoming extinct and to avoid the endangerment of other seal species. When we know why seal populations are beginning to dwindle, we can start doing something about it.

REDUCING HUNTING Many of the most visible efforts to protect seals are aimed at reducing seal hunting. In spite of quotas and Scientists, conservation groups, governments, and even young people can share the work of saving marine mammals like this young seal pup.

• 37 •

SEALS

official protection of endangered seal species, seal hunting remains extremely controversial. Many people protest that the quotas are too high and that some seal species, like the Canadian harp seal, will become endangered if hunting them continues at the current rates. In 1983 European governments banned products made from baby seals, including their pelts and omega-3 fatty acid capsules. Hunting of the harp seal pups decreased significantly. Many activists are calling for a ban on all seal products.

Although called Sea Lion Island, this part of the Falkland Islands, off the coast of Argentina, is actually home to these southern elephant seals. They were hunted so aggressively in the nineteenth century that they came very close to extinction.

• 38 •

Saving Seals

Fishermen in Canada, on the other hand, defend the quotas and argue that hunting seals is an important part of their livelihood. Protesters are calling for people to boycott seafood from countries that allow seal hunting.

PROTECTING ECOSYSTEMS Some of the most important efforts made toward conservation will help seals and many other kinds of wildlife as well. These actions are designed to protect ecosystems, including things like reducing pollution, conserving energy, and using natural resources effectively. When these attempts are successful, there will be fewer disruptions to the ecosystems in which seals live. Another drive to protect ecosystems is designed to stop overfishing. Organizations such as the Marine Conservation Society, have published lists of what they call sustainable seafood. Environmentalists use the term sustainable to refer to practices that will not use up natural resources. Sustainable seafood comes from places that use environmentally smart fishing practices, like not harvesting too many fish from any one area.

• 39 •

SEALS

A colony of sea lions resting on a California beach.

RESCUING SEALS In order for seal populations to thrive, seal pups need to survive and grow up to become adult seals. Mother seals are loving caretakers, but some pups are born too weak or sick to survive. A mother seal who flushes from her haulout site may become separated from her pup and not be able to return. Fortunately, people have formed organizations that rescue abandoned seal pups and injured adults. When these scientists hear of a stranded pup or injured seal, they send a team of specially trained people to pick

• 40 •

You Can Help Save Seals The exciting thing about conservation efforts is how easy it is to be a part of them. Each person, young and old, can reduce pollution by recycling. Conserving energy can be as easy as remembering to turn off the lights or encouraging your family to buy compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Riding your bike instead of driving a car is a better use of natural resources. Kids can also write to government officials asking them to adopt earthfriendly laws. Each of these efforts may seem small, but put together they can have a positive lifegiving effect on One of the most important steps in trying ecosystems and on wildlife to save seals is creating an awareness of such as seals. the threats confronting seals.

SEALS

up the seal and take it back to a rescue center, which is like a hospital for seals and other rescued animals. Marine veterinarians take care of the seals and nurse them back to health. They may also have a chance to study the seals and identify any problems that may be occurring in that seal population. Most disabled seals are returned safely to the wild. Animal experts make sure a seal can find and eat fish on its own and can swim strongly before releasing it back into

A rescue worker cleaning a seal pup caught in the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, in 1989.

• 42 •

Sea lion pups taking a nap together in the sun. What can you do to help save them?

the water. If for some reason, such as a permanent injury, a seal cannot be released, it is taken to a zoo or marine center where it will be cared for by humans for its lifetime. While humans have been a peril to seals in many ways, lots of people realize we can help these gentle creatures survive and thrive in all the different ecosystems in which they live. Conservation efforts to reduce hunting, to protect the environment, and to help seals in trouble can lead to healthier, safer lives for them all. Caring for the environment and for all wildlife is a responsibility all people share. Learning about seals and other endangered animals is one great way to shoulder your part of that responsibility.

• 43 •

SEALS

GLOSSARY boycott—A decision not to buy or use a product or service because it violates a value. endangered—Describes any species of animal that is declining in numbers and thus is in danger of becoming extinct. extinct—No longer active, living, or known to exist. flush—An action in which seals quickly abandon their spots on land to return to the water. hakapik—A club with a spike on the end used in seal hunting. harem—A group of female seals with whom a single male seal mates. harmful algal bloom—A natural event in which large groups of algae grow and multiply very rapidly in seawater, depriving the ecosystem of oxygen, while releasing harmful substances. haul out—The action of a seal leaving the water and coming to rest on land. mammals—Warm-blooded animals that breathe air, give birth to live offspring, have hair, and nurse their young with milk. Otariids—Sea lions and fur seals belong to the group Otariidae. They are also called eared seals.

• 44 •

Glossary

overfishing—Overfishing occurs when fish are removed from an area of water faster than the population can replenish itself. pelt—A seal’s coat, including skin and fur, which is often the object of seal hunting. This has contributed to a decrease in seal populations. Phocids—A category of seals known as “true seals,” in which there are slits on the sides of their heads but no earflaps. Most seals belong in this category. pinnipeds—The scientific name for seals, which means “fin-footed.” pup—A baby seal. quota—The maximum number of a seal species that can be hunted legally each season. rookery—The breeding grounds used by a colony of seals. sustainable seafood—Seafood from places that have environmentally friendly fishing practices, such as not taking too many fish from any one area, leaving enough to replenish the population. vibrissa—An individual seal whisker. Seals use their vibrissae to detect moving prey in dark water.

• 45 •

SEALS

FIND OUT MORE

Books Amsel, Sheri. Everything Kids’ Environment Book: How You Can Help the Environment by Getting Involved at School, at Home, or at Play. Cincinnati, OH: Adams Media. 2007. Berger, Melvin. Penguins Swim but Don’t Get Wet and Other Amazing Facts about Polar Animals. New York: Scholastic. 2004. Woodward, John. Oceans Atlas: An Amazing Aquatic Adventure. New York: DK Children. 2007.

Web Sites U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Kids’ Corner http://www.fws.gov/endangered/kids/index.html Kids Planet E-species Fact Sheets http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/map.html National Geographic Animals A to Z http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/

• 46 •

Index

INDEX Pages numbers in boldface are illustrations. hunting, 33–35, 34, 37–39

bacterial infections, 24–25 blubber, 6–7, 11, 33 boycott, 39 communication, 13 conservationists, 21–22, 35, 37–43, 39, 41

mammals, 6, 7, 20, 30 Marine Mammal Protection Act, 20 migration, 15, 19 molting, 11, 12, 13 monk seals, 4, 20–22, 21, 22, 23, 24

eared and earless seals, 14, 16, 18, 19, 26 ecosystems, 28, 29, 35, 39 elephant seals, 8, 12, 15, 38 endangered, 5, 27–35 extinct, 19, 37

Otariids and Phocids, 14, 18, 19 overfishing, 21, 29, 39

flush, 31, 32, 33, 40 food, 7 fur and pelts, 10, 11, 24 fur seals, 6, 11, 16, 19

reproduction, 9–11 rookery, 9

habitats, 29–35, 39 hakapik, 34 harem, 9, 13 harmful algal blooms, 28–29 harp seals, 11, 15, 38 haul out, 7, 15, 30, 33, 40 heart rate, 7–8 hooded seals, 11 human threats, 21, 22, 24, 29–35, 30, 31

pinnipeds, 5–15 pollution, 21, 22, 30, 32, 32–33 pups, 9–11, 10, 24–25, 36, 38, 40, 43

saving and rescuing, 37–43, 40, 42, 42–43 sea lions, 18, 18, 20, 24–25, 40 sustainable seafood, 39 whiskers (vibrissa), 8, 9

• 47 •

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Johannah Haney has written several books for young people, including titles in Marshall Cavendish Benchmark’s Great Pets, It’s My State, and Health series. Anna Haney-Withrow teaches writing at Florida Gulf Coast University, where her students teach her new things all the time about helping the environment.