What does a ribbon seal look like?

Adult males are the most striking, having a dark brown to black coat with white ribbons, while adult females range from silvery-gray to dark brown with paler ribbons. Juvenile ribbon seals typically have indistinct ribbons that gradually develop over 3 years with each successive annual molt.

Are ribbon seals rare?

The current population is around 250,000. In March 2008 the US government agreed to study Alaska’s ribbon seal population and considered adding it to the endangered species list.

Why do ribbon seals have stripes?

While the pups are pure white, the adults have black fur wrapped in white circles, resembling a panda. “Why does the ribbon seal have its stripes? Probably to make it less visible to underwater predators,” explains ribbon seal biologist Carleton Ray from the University of Virginia.

Where are ribbon seals found?

Ribbon seals are the rarest and most elusive of the ice seals and in waters adjacent to Alaska they occur mainly in the Bering Sea where they are found in the open sea in summer and in the pack ice in winter. The term ice seal refers to four seal species in Alaska that depend upon ice for feeding, resting, and pupping.

How big is a ribbon seal?

Adult ribbon seals of both sexes measure an average 1.6m (maximum 1.9m) in length, and weigh an average 70-80kg (maximum 148kg). Pups weigh about 9-10kg and measure 80-90cm at birth.

What do harp seals look like?

Adult harp seals have light gray fur with a black mask on their face and a curved black patch on their back. This black patch looks like a harp and is the source of the species’ common name. Some animals have dark spots randomly scattered over their entire body. Adults molt, or shed, their fur every spring.

How long can Ribbon seals hold their breath?

Seals are semi-aquatic marine mammals and therefore cannot breathe underwater, so they hold their breath when they dive. While the average dive for greys and commons is 5-10 minutes, they are capable of being underwater for a maximum time of around 30 minutes.

What do ribbon seals eat?

Shrimp are also an important food source, and they are also known to eat: other fish, squid, capelin, cod, eelpout, herring, halibut, and various crustaceans including crabs. Young ribbon seals tend to feed on crustaceans. Ribbon seals may dive to depths of up to 200 m in search of food.

What does a ribbon seal eat?

Ribbon seals are carnivores (piscivores). As juveniles, they feed mainly on shrimp as well as other small crustaceans. Adult seals eat cephalopods, crustaceans, and fish.

Do ribbon seals migrate?

MIGRATION: There is very little information on the migratory patterns of the ribbon seal. Seals from the Bering Sea may either remain there throughout the year or migrate to the Chukchi Sea during the summer. Seals from the Sea of Okhotsk may summer in the Bering Sea.

What color is a harp seal?

light gray
Adult harp seals have light gray fur with a black mask on their face and a curved black patch on their back. This black patch looks like a harp and is the source of the species’ common name. Some animals have dark spots randomly scattered over their entire body. Adults molt, or shed, their fur every spring.

Why is it called a harp seal?

Share. The harp seal is a true seal that lives in the north Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, spending long periods of time associated with sea ice. This species gets its common name from the harp-shaped markings on the back of the otherwise darkly colored adults.