<\/a><\/p>\n

It is time for another fact!\u00a0 I want all of you to pay attention today since I will be asking for input on something at the end of this fact.\u00a0 Anyone who answers will get one Wild Fact<\/em> Bonus Point! I wanted to take a trip up north today and talk about the hooded seal.\u00a0 More specifically, I wanted to talk about the male hooded seals since the females do not have this adaptation.\u00a0 So what is the adaptation?\u00a0 Well, adult male hooded seals are able to inflate a sac that can cover their head.\u00a0 See, they have this pouch, which is an extension of their nasal cavity, that hangs down below their eyes and over their upper lip. By closing both nostrils and blowing the hooded seal has the ability to blow this ballon-like structure to a size similar to a basketball. Believe it or not this isn’t their only talent!\u00a0 The males are also able to close off one nostril and blow this balloon out of their nose.\u00a0 Could you imagine how great these animals would be for blowing up balloons at your kids 6th birthday party!<\/p>\n

The million dollar question is why do the males have this adaptation? Sure it looks weird and would probably be fun to play with but is there something more to it? In a book by Judith E. King titled Seals of the World<\/a> she observed the seals just floating around on the ice blowing up the balloons just to deflate them.\u00a0 This seems like it might be something that entertains them.\u00a0 I know if I had the ability to blow a balloon from my nose that I would constantly be taking advantage of this party trick!<\/p>\n

To me a more reasonable explanation as to the purpose of these sacs has to do with social dominance.\u00a0 They are similar to the massive racks on bull moose.\u00a0 It is known that the male hooded seals will inflate these sacs if they are threatened and again to warn other seals to back off during mating season. So not only are they tons of fun but they also serve a purpose to warn off potential threats.<\/p>\n

I promised that I would ask a question at the end of this fact so here it is.\u00a0 What could these sacs be used for other than social dominance and just for fun? They may serve a purpose in the water, however, we hardly observe seals in the underwater world.\u00a0 You will get a Wild Fact<\/em> Bonus Point if you answer and the best answer gets an additional 5 Wild Fact<\/em> Bonus Points.<\/p>\n

Hooded Seal Fast Fact:<\/strong> The male hooded seal does not develop this special sac until they reach 4 years of age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time for another fact!\u00a0 I want all of you to pay attention today since I will be asking for input on something at the end of this fact.\u00a0 Anyone who answers will get one Wild Fact Bonus Point! I wanted to take a trip up north today and talk about the hooded seal.\u00a0 More specifically, I wanted to talk about the male hooded seals since the females do not have this adaptation.\u00a0 So what is the adaptation?\u00a0 Well, adult male hooded seals are able to inflate a sac that can cover their head.\u00a0 See, they have this pouch, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[60,4024],"tags":[348,220,4026,217,4025,218,219],"yoast_head":"\n