Morp Seal's Adaptation

The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encircling the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and land masses. Although it is closely related to the Brown Bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological forte, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. Though there are many theories surrounding evolution, the two stand outstanding hypotheses applying to the modification from Brown Bear to Polar Bear are Lamarck’s theory of Use and Disuse, and Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection. The intention of this paper is to compare these thesis and determine the most appropriate in

The Phocidae family consists of 29 existing species of earless seal that have been left from the initial 40. Out of this moderately sized group, we will be looking at the Hawaiian monk seal, Southern elephant seal, and the Crabeater seal.

Did you know that the Haida ate Seal? Or that the Inuit had a myth about Narwhals? They all ate differently, hunted differently, and did different art. The Haida, Inuit, an Iroquois are different.

The Hawaiian Monk seal is a greatly endangered marine species. These adorable creatures are being used for human goods such as their skin, meat, and oils. Not only this, but predators like Sharks and poisoning have also killed off the breed. Today in 2017, only about 1,100-1,400 are fighting for their lives. Since these beautiful creature, live on a touristy island, it is common for humans to be one of the biggest threats. Humans can throw litter and plastic into the water just to watch these animals suffer. Their own kind have also been a rising cause of these animals decreasing population by the males killing the females in group attacking called “mobbing”. These creatures are supposed to live anywhere

They weigh about 300 pounds and males quiet larger than females, They come in various colors example, gray, white, yellow and many more. Harbor seals eat fish, and their blubber helps to keep them warm. Their skin is made for them to swim vividly in the water.

The population decline in monk seals is due to several different factors with the biggest reason due to the low pup and juvenile survival rates (Curtice et al, 2011). At the Kure Atoll on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, 32 pups were observed in 1964 and 30 pups were observed in 1965. Of these pups born, all but one died or disappeared within 60 days after birth. This was also seen in the 1970’s at Green Island and Kure Atoll, where a mean population of 17 and 14 seals, respectively, was counted on these beaches, with a birth total of 10 showing a population decline of 70% (Gilmartin et al, 2011). The juvenile survival rate is still seen today with one in five monk seals surviving to the reproductive age, with one year old seals having the highest mortality rates (Norris et al, 2011).

Elephant seal populations were some sorts of huge in the 1990s, but after that time, many bears started to kill those seals making the population decrease by a noticeable amount. After this, the population of seals remained very low undergoing what many called the genetic bottleneck effect, which is nothing more than when a population goes through a drastic reduction in size, leaving that certain population low in size for an indefinite amount of time. After this event, the genetic variation of elephant seal populations remained low for thousands off generations because this genetic bottleneck wiped out many alleles, decreasing the chance for those alleles to be passed on from generation to generation. After this mass effect, the genetic pool was immensely reduced, leaving this elephant seal population with very little genetic variation to be passed on for thousands of years.

Minister Glenn Seals is a nearby twenty-nine palms Minister who shares the expression of God. He is an errand person who conveys the expression of God to the greater part of the general population here in twenty-nine palms. His main goal is to get whatever number individuals spared as could reasonably be expected and give a decent comprehension on life. He urges individuals to rest in God's done work and live and appreciate life minus all potential limitations degree. What I respect most about Minister Perry sermon is his non-verbal communication, invitingness, his planning and conveyance, and his association and instruction in the word.

The negative human impacts on harbor seals are devastating, and there are yet to be any major positive impacts. In the 1900s, fur traders would hunt harbor seal pups that were less than four weeks old for their fine coats, which were highly valued. This led to a decrease in the harbor seal population. Harbor seals were also hunted by salmon fishermen who saw the seals as competitors for the fish. After a while many harbor seal populations had to abandon traditional haul-out areas. This was sad for the seals, because the main diet of a harbor seal is fish.

I think that the Canadian government should not ban the seal hunt because it is humane. Most people do not think it is humane because of the way that media portrays the hunt. It is true that before rules were set, the seal hunt was out of control. But now, after all the changes to the hunt, people still think that it is out of hand. Why? People who are against the hunt use outdated pictures and statistics, which trick people into believing that the seal hunt is inhumane. Also, most people care about the hunt because the pictures that people often show are of harp seals, which are known to be very cute. This makes people feel more sympathy than they would to an animal, which is not as cute as the harp seal. Another point on the media is that

The seal lion population has decreased by eighty-percent. The weird thing is that there is no bodies to prove that the seal lions are gone. Some of the causes of the decrease could be fisherman, pollution, and killer whales. The sea lions could also be starving to death. The fisherman are taking all of their sources of food. But, in Alaska the sea lions are thriving and the whales are not. Thirty years ago ninety percent of the whale population was gone in Alaska. This resulted in an abundance of more krill and plankton, which lead to more pollock and herring. The sea lions ate the herring the most as it was healthier and kept them full. But, when the herring population decreased the sea lions had to eat pollock. Pollock is the “junk food

The problem with plastic ending up in the ocean is that marine life is being harmed by the presence of it. A study done on the harbor seals in the Netherlands found that more than 12% had plastic in the digestive system (California Coastal Commission). The list of affected species indicates that marine debris is affecting a significant number of species. It affects at least 267 species worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species, and 43% of all marine mammal species (Save our shores). The problem is underestimated because the marine life that ingests plastic or dies from entanglement often goes undiscovered due to the vastness of the ocean, as they either sink or are eaten by predators before they are discovered (Plastic Debris). The potential harm from ingestion of plastics is not restricted to seabirds. Plastic bags drifting on ocean currents resemble the prey of turtles. There is evidence that their survival is being hindered by plastic debris with young sea turtles being vulnerable (Ocean pollution). Over the past 20 years polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have polluted marine food webs at an increasing rate, and are prevalent in seabirds. Though their adverse effects may not always be apparent, PCBs lead to reproductive disorders, increase the risk of disease and alter hormone levels. These chemicals have a detrimental effect on marine organisms even at very low levels and plastic pellets could be a route for PCBs into marine food

Evolution of the polar bear also resulted in curved, needle-sharp claws for clinging to ice and grabbing prey. In addition, they developed large, partially webbed paws to assist with swimming. On land, their enormous paws are useful for traveling across loose snow and the paws provide a bigger area to spread their weight across on thin ice. Another adaptation is the polar bear’s longer neck which is needed to keep their head above water when swimming (Polar Bear Evolution 1995). All of these characteristics, unique to the polar bear, have been part of its evolution.

Since seals are mammals and must breathe, they scratch a number of holes through the ice as it begins to freeze and periodically return to them for air.

The article I read was about Hawaiian monk seals. Obviously the seals are found in Hawaii. The seals have six main islands in Hawaii where they populate: Kure Atoll, Midway Islands, Pearl and Hermes Reef, Lisianski Island, Laysan Island, and French Frigate Shoals. The Hawaiian monk seals are named the official state mammal of Hawaii. The Hawaiian monk seals have a diet that ranges from fish, squid, octopus, and lobster. The seals hunt mainly at night and during the day they lay on sandy beaches. The mating season for the seals is mainly from December until mid- August. When pup seals are born they are mainly three feet long and weigh about thirty-five pounds. The first month or two the seals stay with their mother so they are able to nurse.