In the Lithuanian Sea Museum lives Baltic Sea grey seals, East Atlantic common seals, Steller’s sea lions and penguins.
What to do if a seal is noticed on the coast?
In case you notice a seal, please notify the employees of the Lithuanian Sea Museum. Don't forget to specify the location, the size of the seal and its behaviour. The photos taken by phone would provide us with valuable information as well. Please send information and/or data by e-mail a.grusas@muziejus.lt, p.kulikov@muziejus.lt
In March, migration of seal puppets starts, therefore puppets could be noticed resting on the coast. If a puppet pays no attention to the approaching people, it may be too exhausted.
What should you do?
- Don't drive a seal back to the water.
- Don't feed it.
- Don't touch it.
- Keep away the puppet from dogs or too curious people. Let it have a rest.
If possible, wait till specialists of the above mentioned institutions arrive.
Penguins
Penguins are flightless birds. It would be more correct to call their wings flippers. The body of these birds is covered with a dense network of feathers; underneath there is a layer of air bubbles which keeps them warm in the water.
Approximately 17 species of these bird are currently classified on the planet and they all live in the southern hemisphere. Different types of penguins vary in size, agility, appearance and even colouring. The Magellanic penguins, for example, can be recognised from their buttoned-up black collar, while some other penguins even have colourful feathers, like the Macaroni penguin. Contrasting colours help the penguins camouflage, hunt and hide from various predators.
Penguins live in colonies that sometimes expand to several hundred thousand individuals. Most penguins breed in nests, only the emperor penguins lay their eggs on their feet. Different types of penguins have different hatching traditions: in some cases, mothers do that, while in others dads do. Most penguins have their children with the same partner each year and try to return to the same location for breeding.
It is hard to say when the early people first met them. There are some records from the world’s first expeditions of explorers Vasco de Gama and Ferdinand Magellan identifying strange flightless birds that resemble geese or ducks. It is believed that those travellers were referring to penguins.
Three species of seals can be found in the Baltic Sea – the Eastern Atlantic harbour seal, the grey seal and the ringed seal
They differ in size, coat pattern and overall appearance. Grey seals are the most common and sometimes even visit the Lithuanian coast. The Lithuanian Sea Museum annually treats and rehabilitates weak youngs of seals, most of which are usually grey seals. You can recognise the grey seals by their long nose and size – they can reach up to two and a half meters in length and weigh up to 300 kg. These are the largest mammals in the Baltic Sea. Colonies of these animals live on the island of Saaremaa, in the Gulfs of Riga, Bothnia and Gdansk, and they like coastal areas and the shores of rocky islands. The harbour seals’ nose is not as long. The ringed seals are the smallest seals found in the Baltic Sea. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the ringed seals were the most populous in the Baltic Sea but were later overtaken in numbers by grey seals.
All seals are predators – do not be fooled by their lazy demeanour and cute looks. They swallow fish – herring, sprat, smelt, and other – without a sign of mercy.
Steller Sea Lions
The Steller sea lions live at the Lithuanian Sea Museum since 1982. Their ancestors were prehistoric bears, that the structure of their fin bones resemble legs (they even have claws), allowing them to walk on all fours while fully maintaining their full body weight. Steller sea lions are the largest of all sea lions. The males weigh approximately 550 kg on the average and grow to almost 4 meters in length. The females are smaller, weighing approximately 350 kg on the average and are approximately 3 meters long. Steller sea lions eat a variety of fish, cephalopods. It is easy for them to hunt for food – they can develop a speed of up to 27 km/h in the water and can easily dive 350 m deep. Because of their dimensions, they do not have many enemies, but admittedly, those they do have are quite threatening, like the great white sharks or killer whales.
Living in nature, they are most abundant in the waters of the Bering, Okhotsk and Japanese Seas, and can be seen off the coast of Alaska, in Canada and even on the coast of California. They like to settle on uninhabited islands where nobody will disturb them from growling loudly and give birth to their young. They usually travel alone or in small groups, but gather in large numbers for the mating and child-rearing season. Nowadays, Steller sea lions are protected animals, but sometimes they fall prey to fishermen with whom they don’t always come to an agreement about sharing the fish or become entangled in their nets. Steller sea lions can stay under water for no longer than five minutes, so if they do not manage to get out of the nets, they sadly drown.
Photo gallery
