Seals are warm-blooded, but they are covered in a thick layer of
blubber which insulates them from the cold and keeps
their body heat from escaping.
Seals lose heat from their bodies through their skin.
Their streamlined torpedo-shaped body gives them less surface area
(less skin) so they lose less heat.
In the top infrared images, the seal has just finished swimming in a pool of
cool water and appears very dark in the infrared. His skin is still cool from
contact with the water. The bottom image was taken several minutes later.
Here you can see the seal as it warms up a bit (the air temperature was in
the 90's when this image was taken). Notice the warm eyes and mouth area.
