--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one knew exactly why the seals ate…" description: "\"“No one knew exactly why the seals ate stones, but maybe, some thought, it was for ballast. Or to help digestion. Or to stave off hunger. Or, as Brown ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/susan-casey-49814_seals_no-one-knew-exactly-why-the-seals-ate-st_2464861.jpg" --- # No one knew exactly why the seals ate stones, but maybe… ![“No one knew exactly why the seals ate stones, but maybe, some thought, it was for ballast. Or to help digestion. Or to stave off hunger. Or, as Brown had written in the journal, 'maybe they're just weird.” quote by Susan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/susan-casey-49814_seals_no-one-knew-exactly-why-the-seals-ate-st_2464861.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/susan-casey-49814_seals_no-one-knew-exactly-why-the-seals-ate-st_2464861.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef9/susan-casey-49814_seals_no-one-knew-exactly-why-the-seals-ate-st_2464861.jpg) > ““No one knew exactly why the seals ate stones, but maybe, some thought, it was for ballast. Or to help digestion. Or to stave off hunger. Or, as Brown had written in the journal, 'maybe they're just weird.”” [Susan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-casey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She speculates on why seals eat stones, offering whimsical theories and noting their oddity. **In simple terms:** Seals eat stones for unknown, possibly quirky reasons. Key Takeaway Accept that some animal behaviors remain mysterious. Themes nature curiosity humor Mood wondering informative Type educational humorous When to use this quote - wildlife observation - education programs - science writing - public talks Key Concepts Animal behavior science communication Questions to Reflect On - What drives animal oddities? - How can we study them responsibly? A Different Perspective Speculation may lack empirical evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ate Stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ate-stones-696438/) [Journal Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal-maybe-696440/) [Seals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seals/) [Seals Ate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seals-ate-696437/) [Stones Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stones-maybe-696439/) ## Related quotes > [We seal our fate with the choices we take, but don't give a second thought to the chances we take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/we-seal-our-fate-with-the-choices-we-take-but-don-t-give-a-second/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [I have this awareness that the more dynamic the situation is, the more on guard I need to be that the dynamic isn't controlling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-have-this-awareness-that-the-more-dynamic-the-situation-is-the-more/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Whoever wins in 2016, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a Republican, I think they should make it their goal to seal that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/whoever-wins-in-2016-i-m-pretty-sure-it-s-going-to-be-a-republican-i/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [Taking out werewolves, I gather and surmise, is akin to taking out a SEAL team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/taking-out-werewolves-i-gather-and-surmise-is-akin-to-taking-out-a/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [ You can't put toilet paper in the toilet \[in the space ship\], so there's a separate vacuum can in front of you on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/you-can-t-put-toilet-paper-in-the-toilet-in-the-space-ship-so-there-s/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [There were events that stuck in my mind. One, for example, was the case of the missing palace seal at the beginning of winter.’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/there-were-events-that-stuck-in-my-mind-one-for-example-was-the-case/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [Our liberties do not come from charters; for these are only the declaration of pre-existing rights. They do not depend on parchments or seals;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/our-liberties-do-not-come-from-charters-for-these-are-only-the/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) > [Extinguish my eyes, I'll go on seeing you. Seal my ears, I'll go on hearing you. 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The dark clouds rolled away, leaving white, fluffy ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcginnis/a-couple-hours-went-by-and-the-storm-began-to-turn-back-to-the-sea/) [Joseph McGinnis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcginnis/) > [Probably to a shark, about the funniest thing there is is a wounded seal, trying to swim to shore, because WHERE DOES HE THINK…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/probably-to-a-shark-about-the-funniest-thing-there-is-is-a-wounded/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Kings or parliaments could not give the rights essential to happiness... We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/kings-or-parliaments-could-not-give-the-rights-essential-to-happiness/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) > [The impossibility of separating the nomenclature of a science from the science itself, is owing to this, that every branch of physical science must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/the-impossibility-of-separating-the-nomenclature-of-a-science-from/) [Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/) > [To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it with our lives: it is the only way we can leave the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/to-believe-in-something-not-yet-proved-and-to-underwrite-it-with-our/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) ## More by Susan Casey > [“While chasing birds, he had hitchhiked through some of the most desolate places imaginable. Nicaraguan jungles, Indian slums, Samoa fruit bat colonies. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-casey/while-chasing-birds-he-had-hitchhiked-through-some-of-the-most/) [Susan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-casey/) > [ “\[The waves\] move across a faint horizon, the rush of love and the surge of grief, the respite of peace and then fear again,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-casey/the-waves-move-across-a-faint-horizon-the-rush-of-love-and-the-surge/) [Susan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-casey/) > [Sports remain a great metaphor for life's more difficult lessons. It was through athletics that many of us first came to understand that fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-casey/sports-remain-a-great-metaphor-for-life-s-more-difficult-lessons-it/) [Susan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-casey/) > [“The devices meant to float at sea and capture the waves' power have been destroyed in short order by . . . the waves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-casey/the-devices-meant-to-float-at-sea-and-capture-the-waves-power-have/) [Susan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-casey/) > [In every sport there comes a moment when a spell of bitter weeping seems like a fair recess from whatever tough work is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-casey/in-every-sport-there-comes-a-moment-when-a-spell-of-bitter-weeping/) [Susan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-casey/) > [People think with climate change what's going to happen is things are just going to get hotter. But that isn't really the whole story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-casey/people-think-with-climate-change-what-s-going-to-happen-is-things-are/) [Susan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-casey/) [Explore all 7 Susan Casey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-casey/) ## More Seals quotes > [We seal our fate with the choices we take, but don't give a second thought to the chances we take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/we-seal-our-fate-with-the-choices-we-take-but-don-t-give-a-second/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [The impossibility of separating the nomenclature of a science from the science itself, is owing to this, that every branch of physical science must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/the-impossibility-of-separating-the-nomenclature-of-a-science-from/) [Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/) > [Kings or parliaments could not give the rights essential to happiness... We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/kings-or-parliaments-could-not-give-the-rights-essential-to-happiness/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) > [Probably to a shark, about the funniest thing there is is a wounded seal, trying to swim to shore, because WHERE DOES HE THINK…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/probably-to-a-shark-about-the-funniest-thing-there-is-is-a-wounded/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“A couple hours went by, and the storm began to turn back to the sea. The dark clouds rolled away, leaving white, fluffy ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcginnis/a-couple-hours-went-by-and-the-storm-began-to-turn-back-to-the-sea/) [Joseph McGinnis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcginnis/) > [Don't let obstacles along the road to eternity shake your confidence in God's promise. The Holy Spirit is God's seal that you will arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/don-t-let-obstacles-along-the-road-to-eternity-shake-your-confidence/) [David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/) > [The great seal of truth is simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-boerhaave/the-great-seal-of-truth-is-simplicity/) [Herman Boerhaave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-boerhaave/) > [Extinguish my eyes, I'll go on seeing you. Seal my ears, I'll go on hearing you. And without feet I can make my way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/extinguish-my-eyes-i-ll-go-on-seeing-you-seal-my-ears-i-ll-go-on/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Our liberties do not come from charters; for these are only the declaration of pre-existing rights. They do not depend on parchments or seals;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/our-liberties-do-not-come-from-charters-for-these-are-only-the/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) > [There were events that stuck in my mind. One, for example, was the case of the missing palace seal at the beginning of winter.’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/there-were-events-that-stuck-in-my-mind-one-for-example-was-the-case/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [ You can't put toilet paper in the toilet \[in the space ship\], so there's a separate vacuum can in front of you on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/you-can-t-put-toilet-paper-in-the-toilet-in-the-space-ship-so-there-s/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [Taking out werewolves, I gather and surmise, is akin to taking out a SEAL team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/taking-out-werewolves-i-gather-and-surmise-is-akin-to-taking-out-a/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Whoever wins in 2016, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a Republican, I think they should make it their goal to seal that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/whoever-wins-in-2016-i-m-pretty-sure-it-s-going-to-be-a-republican-i/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [I have this awareness that the more dynamic the situation is, the more on guard I need to be that the dynamic isn't controlling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-have-this-awareness-that-the-more-dynamic-the-situation-is-the-more/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it with our lives: it is the only way we can leave the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/to-believe-in-something-not-yet-proved-and-to-underwrite-it-with-our/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) [Browse all 341 Seals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“No one knew exactly why the seals ate stones, but maybe, some thought, it was for ballast. 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