5. Seals 1

Seals are excellent swimmers and divers 2 Some can swim 15 miles an hour and others can dive 2,000 feet underwater

Most seals live in polar regions 3 They have adaptations that help them live in the cold water

Most seals have sleek, fur-covered bodies 4 Under their fur, they have a layer of blubber that helps them stay warm

Also, most seals spread oil over their fur to make it waterproof 5 Seals have short legs that end in flippers

There are 2 groups of seals 6 Earless seals do not have any ears showing on the outside of their heads

Earless seals include elephant seals and harbor seals 7 The largest seals, elephant seals, can be 20 feet long and weigh up to 8,000 pounds

They are clumsy on land, but fast and graceful in the water 8

They can be found in northern oceans as well as in rivers and lakes 9 Harbor seals are about 6 feet long and weigh about 250 pounds

These seals include sea lions and northern fur seals 10 Eared seals have tiny ears on the outside of their heads

They dive for fish and squid and come ashore and live in colonies to have their young 11 Some sea lions live in the Pacific Ocean, along the coast of North America

They go back to the same island every summer 12 Northern fur seals breed only on a few islands near Alaska

13 During the winter, the seals live in the ocean, thousands of miles from the island