Wonders of Seals and Sea Lions

By: Joseph E. Brown

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Synopsis: From the book jacket: Playful, popular performers of many occanarium shows, seals and sea lions are air-breathing mammals that began leaving the land continents many millions of years ago to adapt to life in the sea. Called pinnipeds by scientists, their streamlined bodies and powerful flippers and fins make them adept, agile swimmers and divers. Once a year, however, they return briefly to land to form breeding colonies where their young are born, nourished, taught to swim, and finally weaned. wonders of seals and sea lions tells the story of these remarkable animals: their natural history, how they have adapted to life in the oceans, and of life in the colonies. It also describes how many species were tragically exploited and driven nearly to extinction by man, one of the pinnipeds' few predators. A summary chapter looks at the future, and what scientists are learning from seals and sea lions that may assist man himself in exploration of the increasingly important oceans.