The horn on Seel's head is exceptionally hard, and its made of toughened bone. Seel has a tan-colored muzzle with a small black nose, small tusks, round eyes and a tongue that is often seen outside of Seel's mouth. It lives in the frigid waters of the arctic, surviving because of its thick blubber.
This hide of fat looks like it's covered with snow-white fur from a distance, but, when magnified, the fur is actually a very light blue that gives it a sea-water tinge whilst swimming. Seel's streamlined, curving body helps it to effortlessly swim through the cold seas, and its flippers propel it with ease. The flippers can also pull its body onto shore, but can only support its weight for a short time.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Seel uses its horn to puncture ice so it can breathe. It becomes healthier when it rains. Its coarse hair can trap water and air to conserve body heat.
Behavior
The horn on the tip of Seel's head is used to chip away ice at the surface of the sea to create breathing holes. The small tusks can chip away at the ice too, and sometimes they engage in territorial fights where these tusks can be applied as weapons.
During the day, Seel can usually be spotted in shallow seas asleep on the sea bed, however it is additionally active during the evening hours, when it hunts and pursues prey effortlessly through the water. The colder the sea, the more active it is. When swimming, its nostrils close tightly when it swims. Seel only comes on land to give birth or socialize with others of its kind - it's exceptionally clumsy on land.
Seel loves to live in extremely cold polar seas, which are often 40 degrees below 0. The frigid climate it lives in are full of ice floes. It exceptionally loves iceberg-filled oceans, where herds of Seel converge to play and socialize. It is found in Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh.
In Pokémon Adventures, Seel is the first Pokémon Lorelei owned. As a child, Lorelei saw her Seel become poisoned due to the effects of nearby industrialization. Agatha, who was passing by, healed the Seel using her Gastly. This encounter with the negative effects that humanity had on Pokémon would be the motivation Lorelei had to join the Elite Four in a plot to destroy all humanity years later.
Seel is a Pokéfloat. After the second half of Venusaur is revealed, the screen moves continually to the right without stopping and so fighting does not stay on Seel for very long.
Game data
NPC appearances
Pokémon Pinball: A Seel appears in a bonus stage accessible from the Blue Table. The goal is to hit the Seel that will poke it's head out of the water.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation I.
Seel hunts for prey in the frigid sea underneath sheets of ice. When it needs to breathe, it punches a hole through the ice with the sharply protruding section of its head.
Seel hunt for prey in frigid, ice-covered seas. When it needs to breathe, it punches a hole through the ice with the sharply protruding section of its head.
Seel is the only non-ice type Pokémon to have the Ice Body ability, however, it evolves into an Ice-type Pokémon.
Seel can be seen as a parallel to Spheal. Both of them are Water/Ice-type Pokémon. Seel is exclusive Pokémon Diamond, while Spheal is exclusive Pokémon Pearl, with both found in the same locations in their respective versions. Additionally, both can only be obtained by breeding their evolved forms in Pokémon Platinum. Both Pokémon also appear to be based on Pinnipeds.
Origin
Seel is based on seal pups, bearing resemblance to a newborn Harp Seal. The horn on the top of Seel's head may also be lousy based on the narwhal.
Name origin
Seel's name is a corruption of the sea creature seal. Its Japanese name may come from the onomatopoeia of a seal bark. It could also involve paw, the foot of many mammals.
In other languages
German: Jurob - Possibly from jung (young) and Robbe (seal).
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.