Facts on the Arctic Seal

There are a handful of separate species of seals that inhibit the Arctic region. These marine mammals are well adapted to live in the water for a good portion of their lives, but they are capable of moving about on land. Seals are much more vulnerable to predators when not in the water. Seals are classified as Pinnipeds, meaning that they have flippers instead of feet.

Size

Harp seals can be as long as six feet and weigh as much as 450 to 500 pounds. Harp seals have a thick layer of blubber beneath their hides to protect them from the extreme Arctic cold. The fur is thick but short. It is white with a few patches of black, with the face being black as well. Harp seals are capable of diving as deep as 600 feet and can hold their breath for a quarter of an hour as they search the waters for food. The diet of the harp seal consists of shellfish and smaller fish.

Function

The hooded seal gets its name from an inflatable sac that the males possess. This sac hangs loosely over the front portion of the seal's mouth. When the male inflates it, it forms what appears to be a hood over the seal's head. The hood is inflated to warn other males away during the breeding season. Hooded seals are larger than harp seals, with large males reaching lengths of eight feet and weighing in the range of 650 pounds. The hooded seal female will have a single pup each year, and these babies are weaned off of the milk of the mother after just four days, which is the shortest period of all mammal babies.

Considerations

The ringed seal is the most populous seal in the Arctic region, and it is the smallest seal as well. Most males weigh less than 150 pounds, and most do not get longer than five feet (even that is considered quite large). Like other seals, the ringed seal has a thick blubber layer for keeping out the chill. Ringed seals acquired their name from the black spots that look like a ring pattern on their skin. Fish and crustaceans make up their diet. The female ringed seal will be six to eight years old before it becomes a mother, and the pregnancy will last 11 months.

Seals must watch out for predators. A polar bear will wait by a hole in the ice that a harp seal has dove into. He will then kill the seal when it pops its head up for air.

Features

The ribbon seal is an average-sized seal, with most being five feet long and weighing between 150 and 175 pounds. The adult ribbon seal has a unique color pattern to its fur, with white ribbons against a black background possible around the neck, the posterior sections, and on each flipper, making for a striking animal in appearance. Ribbon seals do not acquire these colors until they reach the age of four. Fish and mollusks are on their menu, and the female ribbon seals have one pup each year, giving birth between late March and the middle of May.

Types

The bearded seal is the largest Arctic seal, eight feet long and weighing as much as 750 pounds. The bearded seal has long whiskers which give it its name and has acute senses of sight and hearing. The spotted seal, covered with dark spots on a yellowish-brown body, weighs about 250 pounds and is five feet long. Both consume fish and creatures like squid and shrimp.