LATIN NAME Pusa hispida

LENGTH Average 1.5m (5 ft). Depending on the subspecies can be 100 cm to 175 cm (39.5 in to 69 in)

WEIGHT 50 kg –70 kg (110 lb – 150 lb)

LIFETIME 15 to 20 years

PHYSICAL TRAITS This species is usually considered the smallest species in the true seal family

BEHAVIOR Ringed seals produce simple barks, yelps, and clicks in the frequency range of 0.4-16 kHz. These underwater vocalizations are heard year-round, so it is not thought that they are associated with any reproductive behavior.

HABITAT Ringed seals can live in areas that are completely covered with ice. They use their sharp claws to make and maintain their own breathing holes through the ice, which may be 6 feet or more in thickness. In winter through early spring, they also carve out lairs in snow drifts over their breathing holes.

LOCATIONS Ringed seals are circumpolar and range throughout the Arctic Basin and southward into adjacent seas, including the Bering and Labrador Seas. They are also found in the Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan in the western North Pacific and the Baltic Sea in the North Atlantic.

FOOD Ringed seals are opportunistic and eat a variety of invertebrates, fish, and amphipods. The particular species eaten depends on availability, depth of water, and distance from shore. In Alaska waters, the important food species are arctic cod, saffron cod, shrimps, and other crustaceans.

PREDATORS