The fur seals walk clumsily on land or ice because they rotate their large flippers back and forth to function as legs. Seals live most of their life in the water. They generally do not dive very deep and stay underwater for only a couple of minutes. As a seal starts to dive, its heart rate starts to slow to about one tenth of its heart rate at the water surface. The deepest diving seals stay underwater for one to two hours.
Older seals produce a think layer of fat called blubber.
Most new born seals have little or no blubber. Many seal species develop a fur coat during infancy that traps the air next to the skin for an extra layer of insulation. It also eats the carcasses of dead whales. The fur seal is hunted by large sharks, especially the great white sharks, the orca or killer whale, polar bears, and other seals. The greatest menace to seals are humans who have long hunted them for food and seal skin, which is used for clothing, housing, and even small boats.