Mammals · Carnivora · Phocidae

Ringed Seal

Pusa hispida

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The ringed seal is the smallest and most abundant of the Arctic seals, and owes its name to the pale rings that dot its dark coat. It is the species that sustains the polar bear: it makes up most of its diet. It keeps breathing holes open in the ice by scraping with the claws of its fore flippers, which allows it to occupy areas of fast ice where other seals cannot live. Its life cycle is so bound up with the ice that the Arctic thaw threatens it directly.

Weight

50 kg – 110 kg

Size

1 m – 1.8 m

Lifespan

40 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanFreshwaterPolarCarnivore Solitary Ocean Freshwater Polar Mammal

11countries 18parks 2dive sites14same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt digs snow caves to give birth, and is the polar bear's main prey.
It digs caves with its claws in the snow piled on the ice, where it gives birth sheltered from the cold and hidden from polar bears; if the snow comes late or melts early, the pups are left exposed.
There are relict freshwater populations in Lake Saimaa in Finland and Lake Ladoga in Russia, cut off from the sea since the end of the last glaciation.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Fast and drifting sea ice of the Arctic Ocean; relict populations in Baltic lakes
Sexual maturity: 5 years
Gestation / incubation: 8.2 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pusa_hispida