A male cub was born on July 15 after a gestation period of almost a year, it was announced in a broadcast on Thursday. The little seal is thriving and has already made its first attempts at swimming in a group. His mother is always by his side, taking good care of him.
“Seals are excellent swimmers and can dive under water for up to 15 minutes. But it’s all a bit exhausting for the little ones, so they sleep a lot at the moment. The first six to eight months they are suckled by their mother, only then do they stand up Sea fish such as herring, mackerel or sprats are on the menu for him. As an adult seal, he will eat around six kilos of fish or even more a day. However, it will be a few years before the young male has reached the impressive weight of his father of over 300 kg last,” said the head of the zoological department, Folko Balfanz.
Visitors can see the baby seal
Visitors to Schönbrunn can already see and observe the offspring. “Since the beginning of the summer, after a two-year break due to corona, we have been able to offer our popular commented feedings again. Our maned seals and the young animal can be seen particularly well there and the visitors receive a lot of valuable information about this animal species,” said zoo director Stephan Hering- Hagenbeck.
Maned seals originally live on the coasts of South America and owe their name to the striking mane of the males. Because of this mane and their loud roar during the mating season, these animals are also called “sea lions”.
Source: Nachrichten
