earless seal scientific name

Because the true seals lack the ability to turn their hind limbs forward, their movements are heavily hindered on land. Instead, it represents a group of similar marine organisms with a single evolutionary origin.The Pinnipeds fall into three broad families. "Geographic variation in the skull of the ringed seal, 10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0370:GVITSO>2.0.CO;2, "Growth and population parameters of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from Svalbard, Norway, 2002–2004", Study says ringed seal liver dangerous for pregnant women, "HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea species in danger of becoming extinct", Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami page on the ringed seal, Smithsonian Institution - North American Mammals: Pusa hispida, Voices in the Sea - Sounds of the Ringed Seal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ringed_seal&oldid=982904473, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 11 October 2020, at 02:25. Species with unique ornamentations like this tend to be sexually dimorphic, meaning that males and females differ in appearances.One glance at the seal’s anatomy will tell you that they are extraordinarily well-adapted for the water. Males are dark gray or brownish gray with silver spots. They have also evolved methods to empty their lungs of air, close their nostrils and throat, and slow down their heart rate. Select an environment to see its earless seals species checklist. These aquatic families are referred to as pinnipeds. [4] The ringed seal maintains a breathing hole in the ice thus allowing it to use ice habitat that other seals cannot. Likewise, the Phocinae subfamily (Erignathus, Cystophora, Halichoerus, and Phoca) is also monophyletic. Seal species that live in the polar areas tend to prefer the ice. [4] They are solitary animals and when hauled out on ice separate themselves from each other by hundreds of yards.[4]. Seal Scientific Name “Seal” is the informal name for all species of Pinnipeds. There are also behavioral differences, including the breeding systems. The invertebrates: a new synthesis, Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd. Barbatus refers to the seal’s whiskers or beard. The physiological and behavioral adaptations that allow phocid pups to endure these remarkable fasts, which are among the longest for any mammal, remain an area of active study and research. Hundreds of years ago, something peculiar happened…  People started finding dragon teeth along the creeks and the shores of oceans. Did outfit my Campbell Hausfelf system. Some species lack molars altogether. They also have the remarkable ability to detect vibrations in the water with their whiskers. Family: Phrynosomatidae . Their hind limbs are capable of propulsion in water and walking on land.Although Pinnipeds cannot match the top speed of some aquatic animals, their greatest advantage in the water is their flexibility. The level of annual U.S. commercial fishery-related mortality or injury was considered insignificant. Otarids also swim using their long front flippers to move themselves through the water, while phocids swim by using their rear flippers and lower body in a side-to-side motion (Riedman 1990). Elephant seals are the largest and most aggressive. The ringed seal (Pusa hispida syn. McLaren, I. Phocidae. Females give birth in March in the Baltic, from December to February in the western Atlantic, and from September to November in the eastern Atlantic. EOL has data for 40 attributes, including: The environments in which many earless seals species are known to live. Gray seals are legally hunted in Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic Sea. Ringed seal are an important food item in particular for polar bears. (Pinnipedia is usually considered a suborder of the order Carnivora, but is sometimes considered a separate order or as a superfamily.) In D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder, eds.. The mother’s milk contains mostly fat rather than lactose, so once the pup is finally born, it can grow quickly and begin to fend for itself.The seal’s long-term survival depends on those first crucial days of life. [2] Depending on subspecies and condition, adult size can range from 100 to 175 cm (39.5 to 69 in) and weigh from 32 to 140 kg (71 to 309 lb). Ringed seals are found throughout the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas, as far south as Bristol Bay in years of extensive ice coverage. Direct hostile interactions between humans and seals are rare. The middle ear is also lined with blood sinuses that inflate during diving, helping to maintain a constant pressure (McLaren 1984). Gestation periods var by species but can last up to a year. Bearded Seals have tougher skin than most other seals. Phocidae (Earless Seals) is a family of mammals. Results of surveys conducted by Frost and Lowry (1999) indicate that, in the Alaskan Whether a species prefers land or sea ice may determine many aspects of their behavior, including reproductive strategies.The seal’s lithe movements in the water belie its enormous size. [4] Early Paleoeskimo sites in Arctic Canada revealed signs of harvested ringed seals dating from c. 4000–3500 BP, likely captured in frozen cracks and leads in the ice, with a selection for juveniles and young adults. Females become sexually mature at 4 years of age. The Odobenidae family is the third and smallest group. Orcas in particular seem to have unique hunting strategies to catch their prey. This helps protect the seal from the bends. A pregnant female earless seal spends a long period of time foraging at sea, building up her fat reserves and then returns to the breeding site and using her stored energy reserves to provide milk for her pup. In addition to earless seals, other pinnipeds include walruses and eared seals (sea lions and fur seals). But the term Pinniped itself doesn’t refer to any specific family or genus. [4] During the spring breeding season, females construct lairs within the thick ice and give birth in these structures. Two black diagonal marks on the sides posterior to the forelegs; diagonal marks rimmed in blue on males, less distinct on females . Although the species was nearly extirpated in the mid-20th century, it began to recover in the 1980s following the passage of the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act in the United States and the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 in the United Kingdom (which does not apply to Northern Ireland). Pinnipeds are aquatic (mostly marine) mammals that are characterized by having both front and hind limbs in the form of flippers. Walrus locomotion combines elements of both true and eared seals. [9], Ringed seals have long been an important component of the diet of Arctic indigenous peoples throughout their range, and continue to be harvested annually by many communities. The IUCN classifies the gray seal conservation status as "least concern." Lithe, limber, and agile, the seal is a master of aquatic locomotion. Based on morphological and molecular analysis, scientists believe that the Pinnipeds likely descended from a single ancestral line (rather than multiple lines). But that doesn't mean that every seal is safe. According to Scottish scholar David Thomson, they gray seal was the basis of the Celtic seal legend of the selchie, a creature that could assume human and seal form. These characteristics distinguish phocids, also known as true seals or as crawling seals, from the eared seals (fur seals and sea lions) of the family Otariidae. Ringed seals are one of the primary prey of polar bears and killer whales, and have long been a component of the diet of indigenous people of the Arctic. When they come up for land, seals will inhabit beaches, caves, tide pools, shoals, and even man-made structures such as piers and oil platforms. They rely on vocalizations to attract mates and ward off reproductive rivals. The earless seals or true seals are marine mammals of the family Phocidae, one of the three pinniped families. Ringed seals live about 25 to 30 years. The species occurs in great numbers in the coastal waters of Canada south to Massachusetts (with sightings in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina), the Baltic Sea, and the United Kingdom and Ireland. Seals ward off predators by congregating in large groups together. According to the National Geographic, it can reach up to 20 feet and weigh 4.4 tons, which is heavier than a pickup truck. Cladogram showing the eared seals, Otariidae, and their relationships with other pinnipeds, combining several phylogenetic analyses. The walrus subsists on a steady diet of clams and shellfish at the bottom of the sea. The gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) is an earless or "true seal" found along North Atlantic coasts. [10], In 2012 the Government of Nunavut warned pregnant women to avoid eating ringed seal liver due to elevated levels of mercury, although they stressed eating traditional "country food" is still healthy for adults. As of 2016, the population was estimated to be 632,000 gray seals. Phocids are more highly specialized for aquatic life than otariids, although they still return to dry land or pack ice in order to breed and give birth. For most of the year, gray seals are solitary or live in small groups. Some species are highly monogamous, meaning that they mate only in pairs, while other species are polygynous, meaning that a single male mates with multiple females, while females only have a single mate. Air is forced from the lungs during a dive and into the upper respiratory passages, where gases cannot easily be absorbed into the bloodstream. Only earless seals live in the Antarctic and Arctic; there are no otariids living and breeding in the extreme polar regions (Riedman 1990). Climate change and severe weather also affect the seals and their prey. To further aid streamlining, their nipples can be retracted, their testicles are internal, and the penis lies in an internal sheath. Gray seals do well in captivity and are commonly seen in zoos. [7] In 2008 the US National Marine Fisheries Service began a conservation status review under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to determine if listing this seal under the ESA is warranted. (sea lions and fur seals), Phocidae (true, or earless, seals), and Odobenidae (the walrus). Phocids have a reduced number of teeth compared with land-based members of the Carnivora, although they retain powerful canines. Phoca hispida),[1] is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. It is called the gray seal in the United States and the grey seal elsewhere. Climate change is potentially the most serious threat to ringed seal populations since much of their habitat is dependent upon pack ice. They have to pull their bodies forward in a clumsy and cumbersome manner. It is called the gray seal in the United States and the grey seal elsewhere. There are three large gray seal populations and numerous smaller colonies. They have been known to stun the seals with their tails, fling them in the air, surprise them on the beach, or trap them on the ice. They remain in contact with ice most of the year and pup on the ice in late winter-early spring. [2] The ringed seal is most closely related to the Caspian seal (P. caspica) and Baikal seal (P. sibirica), all of which share similar small sizes, features of skull morphology and affinity for ice. The ringed seal is a relatively small seal, rarely greater than 1.5 m in length, with a distinctive patterning of dark spots surrounded by light grey rings, hence its common name. True seals do not communicate by "barking" like otariids. Ringed seals reside in arctic waters and are commonly associated with ice floes and pack ice. Seals are widespread along the coasts and open oceans of every continent on the Earth, including Antarctica.

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