Seals can get seasick if you put them on a boat.

Original photo by klaravlas/ iStock

Humans aren’t the only animals that suffer from motion sickness. For instance, despite being equally comfortable on land or in water, seals can reportedly get seasick if you put them on a boat. Like human beings and many other animals, they rely on their inner ears for balance. The conflict between the signals sent to the brain by their eyes and ears results in the same discomfort experienced by anyone who’s struggled to get their sea legs, but at least the adorable mammals have the option of jumping in the water to alleviate their queasiness.

Crabeater seals don’t eat crabs.

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Despite their name, these seals, which are native to Antarctica, mostly eat krill. In fact, there aren’t many crabs in Antarctica at all. The name is a misnomer attributed to them by early sealers and whalers who misunderstood the animals’ diet.

Aside from this minor impairment, however, seals are highly physically attuned to their environments. Their underwater eyesight is excellent, and their whiskers are also important when hunting. The latter allows them to sense vibrations caused by swimming prey and are so effective that even blind seals can hunt and feed underwater — just don’t ask them to share their catch on your boat afterward.

Numbers Don't Lie

Years seals have existed

28 million–30 million

Species of pinnipeds

Maximum weight (in pounds) of the southern elephant seal

8,800

Birth year of Sheba, the oldest known seal

1974

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Seals belong to a group of marine mammals known as ______, meaning “fin-footed.”

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Seals belong to a group of marine mammals known as pinnipeds, meaning “fin-footed.”

No one knows how Baikal seals got where they are.

Baikal seals can be found in just one location: Lake Baikal in Siberia. They’re the only pinniped species that lives exclusively in fresh water, as well as one of the smallest true (aka earless) seals. As for how they came to reside in the world’s deepest, oldest, and most voluminous lake, no one knows. Between 80,000 and 100,000 Baikal seals live in the lake, so despite the enigmatic origins, they seem to be doing quite well in their environment.