Quick Take
- "Galumph" sounds like a joke, but it's a legitimate scientific term. The reason it stuck reveals something unexpected about how seals actually move. See how galumphing works →
- Seals deliberately keep their flippers off the ground, and the reason behind this behavior isn't what you'd assume. Discover the flipper behavior →
- The most effective way for a seal to move on land borrows from a creature that couldn't look more different from a seal. See the caterpillar connection →
- Being perfectly engineered for one environment can make you surprisingly helpless in another, and seals are a strange proof of that. See the tradeoff in action →
Seals are some of the cutest animals in nature. Their round bodies and the way they flop around on land make them truly adorable creatures. While excellent in the water, these animals aren’t so graceful on land. To get around, they often lift their flippers up and “galumph” to their destination. This Instagram post by @michaelboyyd shows the funny maneuver.
The term ‘galumphing’ is a comical but real term used to describe how seals move on land.
©the_guitar_mann/ via Getty Images
Galumphing on Land
Seals have a hilarious way to get around, as their bodies are simply not made for land. These blubbery animals were built for the water, and they struggle a bit when on land. That is why they galumph across the beach. Since their flippers aren’t often long enough to help them move, they retract their fore flippers, before flexing their spines and projecting their body up and forward in an undulating, caterpillar-like motion. While “galumph” sounds like a made-up word, it is actually a recognized term that is used by researchers to describe how seals move.
The Aquarium of the Pacific uses the term to describe how harbor seals propel themselves on land. To properly galumph, seals first have to compress their bodies. They then lift their chest up and push and pull forward, shifting their weight. They do this over and over again while lightly bouncing. This pushes them forward in a slow but effective way. It’s just one more factor that makes seals truly endearing and a joy to watch.
