It was to ruin their value as pelts so they would not be killed, but did that strategy put a dent in their annual seal take? Would the paint make them less attractive to another seal and less likely to mate?
2006-11-03 17:29:30 · 3 answers · asked by Professor Armitage 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
What a good quesiton. It is very possible that the paint may have interferred with sexual seletion during mating. It is well documented that in certain species, that mates are selected by certain physical attributes. The change in color or pattern the paint made on the seals may have confused potential mates - if sight is the main way that mates find each other. I don't know a ton on seal behavior, but I seem to recall that they do a lot of calling - which may be another way to attract a mate. So, I guess it depends on the importance of visual attraction. (Like in peacocks, there is a major differnece between males and females -males are really flashy, while the females aren't. It's all way for the male to attract females). I think in seals, males and females mostly differ by size...so, taking that factor in as well, paint may not have done too much damage.
Hope these points are helpful to you!
2006-11-03 18:38:00 · answer #1 · answered by natureutt78 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
From what I heard, the paint made their pelts less water resistant which caused them to suffer from the cold & damp. Many got sick & died as a result. Hurray for PETA!
2006-11-03 17:33:12 · answer #2 · answered by My Evil Twin 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
they are complete idiots. maybe we need to paint the animal right group people? it would be easier to distinguish stupidity that way.
2006-11-04 08:11:37 · answer #3 · answered by mxlj 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋