{"id":596601,"date":"2023-03-30T09:58:17","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T13:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/US\/?p=596601"},"modified":"2024-08-06T16:12:26","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T20:12:26","slug":"hype-up-for-harbor-seals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/US\/bbtw_updates\/hype-up-for-harbor-seals\/","title":{"rendered":"Hype up for harbor seals!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo credit: The Marine Mammal Center<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Harbor seals are the only spotted seals found in California. They\u2019re able to swim at birth, and by the time their mothers teach them how to hunt and dive, they\u2019re masters in the water! They can dive up to over 1,600 feet, holding their breath for almost 30 minutes when they do \u2013 no need for a scuba tank when you\u2019re a harbor seal!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Outside of the water, harbor seals will rest on sandy beaches, mudflats, and rocks that become exposed during low tides. When they feel like they\u2019re resting safely, they\u2019ll lift their head and hind flippers into what\u2019s called a \u201cbanana pose\u201d, but this is for more than just looking cute: it actually helps regulate their body temperature by keeping their heads and flippers high and dry!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Seal or banana?!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Besides teaching them important life skills like diving and hunting, seal moms also provide nourishing milk to their pups for the first 4-6 weeks of their lives. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important that these pairs stay together until young seals are ready to spread their wings (or should we say\u2026 spread their flippers?!) and head out on their own! Sadly though, this doesn\u2019t always happen. Pups can end up orphaned after big storms, or even after people\/dogs on the beach scare away nervous moms \u2013 and that can mean big trouble. That\u2019s where you come in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Marine Mammal Center helps nurse orphaned harbor seal pups back to health, with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. To do this, the Center treats them in isolated units that protect them from stress (since they\u2019re super vulnerable to this at such a young age). They\u2019re fed milk formula and fish smoothies (yum!) until they can eat whole fish, and eventually they learn to dive and hunt on their own. Once they\u2019re back to full health and have learned these important skills, they\u2019re released back into the wild to live a happy life for years to come!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Veterinarians at The Marine Mammal Center examine a harbor seal patient.<\/em>
Photo credit: The Marine Mammal Center<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Head to the Adoptions Section in the Earth Rangers App or visit the Earth Rangers Shop to get your Harbor Seal Adoption Kit and make a difference today!<\/strong>

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For more information about the Harbor Seal or to learn more about The Marine Mammal Center\u2019s mission, please visit their website at https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Harbor seals are the only spotted seals found in California. They\u2019re able to swim at birth, and by the time their mothers teach them how to hunt and dive, they\u2019re masters in the water! They can dive up to over 1,600 feet, holding their breath for almost 30 minutes when they do \u2013 no need […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":596604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[931,425],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-596601","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all","8":"category-bbtw_updates"},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t