Baby Seal

Pinnipeds use several strategies to conserve body heat while foraging in cold waters. Most primarily rely on a thick layer of blubber (fat) under their skin, which also provides buoyancy, hydrodynamic shape, and stores energy. Some young seals have a thick fur coat as well as blubber. Additionally, the pinniped circulatory system is uniquely adapted to redirect blood away from body surface areas to prevent heat loss.
Pinnipeds living in warmer climes, such as Galapagos or Australian sea lions, must keep cool when they haul out onto land to rest, breed, and nurse their pups. Strategies include resting in the shade or in tide pools, covering themselves in a thin layer of sand ("sand-flipping"). They can also shunt blood to the surface of their flippers for rapid cooling by waving or dipping in pools.