Bearded Seal
Male bearded seals are found in the Arctic and have a complex vocal repertoire, especially during the Arctic spring breeding season. They produce distinctive, stereotyped calls, including long trills, moans, and groans. Some calls can be heard for up to 12 miles. This audiograph presents one of their underwater vocalizations.
Bearded Seal Facts
LATIN NAME Erignathus barbatus: Erignathus barbatus barbatus and Erignathus barbatus nauticus (also known as the square-flipper seal).
LENGTH 2.1 m (6.9 ft) to 2.7 m (8.9 ft).
WEIGHT 200 kg (441 lb) to 430 kg (948 lb).
LIFETIME About 25 years; some may live to around 30. Females generally reach sexual maturity at 5–6 years, males at 6–7 years.
PHYSICAL TRAITS Gets its name from the thick bristles and whiskers on its muzzle. They also have very pronounced and thick vibrissae, or “whiskers,” which are sensitive and help them locate food on the seafloor. Their broad, squared foreflippers give them the name “square-flipper seal.”
BEHAVIOR Except for breeding season, these seals tend to be solitary in nature, but they can also be seen hauled out on pack ice in small groups. Male bearded seals are among the most vocal of marine animals. They produce distinctive, stereotyped calls that can be heard for up to 12 miles. Their complex vocal repertoire is especially prominent during the Arctic spring breeding season. However, recordings in the Beaufort Sea have documented vocalizations year-round, rather than only during breeding season.
HABITAT Shallow coastal and continental-shelf areas with seasonal sea ice. They use pack ice for resting, molting, and raising their pups, and feed on or near the seafloor.
LOCATIONS Arctic Ocean and surrounding sub-Arctic seas. In Alaska, they occur in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas.
FOOD Clams, fish, and other bottom-dwelling prey, including shrimp, crabs, and whelks.
PREDATORS Polar bears.
Sources & further reading
NOAA Fisheries: Bearded Seal
NAMMCO: Bearded Seal
MacIntyre et al. (2013): Year-round acoustic detection in the Beaufort Sea
Discovery of Sound in the Sea
Wikipedia: Bearded seal
Original literature: Sofie M. Van Parijs and Chris W. Clark, “Acoustic techniques provide insights into reproductive strategies of bearded seals, Erignathus barbatus,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 2555 (2004). Harold M. Merklinger and H. Scott Morash, “Haunted Arctic,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 58, S122 (1975).
