Ringed Seal

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Ways to identify this species: smallest pinniped,, up to 5ft. In length,, coloration is varied

but usually gray with black spots ringed with light marks

Biology

• Most populous species of seal in Alaska region, lives in the Northern Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Sea and is occasionally sighted off the Aleutian Islands.  They prefer to live near the shore on the ice but leave in the spring most likely to migrate farther north.

• Measure up to 5ft in length and up to 150lbs

• Like to eat a variety of things depending on the season and their habitat.  Some prey includes cod and shrimp.

• Females give birth to one pup in March or April in a den usually on land or one pack ice

Threats

• Although the ringed seal is hunted for food and hide by native Alaskans, global warming may present a more serious threat for this species, which spends much of its life on or near the pack ice.

• Because so much of their life is spent on the ice, Climate Change threatens the seal's habitat.