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Ice Seal
Ice seal, or (in the Southern Hemisphere) pack-ice seal is a general term applied to any one of a number of pinniped species of the family Phocidae whose life cycle is completed largely on or about the sea ice of the Earth's polar regions. The following are widely considered pagophilic or "ice-loving" speciehttp://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=1380] *Subfamily Monachinae ** Ross seal **Crabeater seal **Leopard seal **Weddell seal *Subfamily Phocinae **Bearded seal **Hooded seal **Harp seal ** Ringed seal **Ribbon seal The ribbon seal (''Histriophoca fasciata'') is a medium-sized pinniped from the true seal family (Phocidae). A seasonally ice-bound species, it is found in the Arctic and Subarctic regions of the North Pacific Ocean, notably in the Bering Sea and ... ** Spotted seal or larga seal {{SIA Mammal common names ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leopard Seal
The leopard seal (''Hydrurga leptonyx''), also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). It is a top order predator, feeding on a wide range of prey including cephalopods, other pinnipeds, krill, fish, and birds, particularly penguins, and its only natural predator being the orca. It is the only species in the genus ''Hydrurga''. Its closest relatives are the Ross seal, the crabeater seal and the Weddell seal, which are all Antarctic seals of the tribe Lobodontini. Research history and taxonomy Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville, a French zoologist, described the leopard seal in 1820 from a stuffed specimen from the collection of one M. Hauville, in Le Havre. The skin that produced this work of taxidermy was sourced from "the southern seas", that he ascertained to be from around the Falkland Islands. Blainville describes the specimen as "beautiful", 7-8 "pieds" long ( long) and elongated, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ribbon Seal
The ribbon seal (''Histriophoca fasciata'') is a medium-sized pinniped from the true seal family (Phocidae). A seasonally ice-bound species, it is found in the Arctic and Subarctic regions of the North Pacific Ocean, notably in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk. It is distinguished by its striking coloration, with two wide white strips and two white circles against dark brown or black fur. It is the only living species in the genus ''Histriophoca'', although a possible fossil species, ''H. alekseevi'', has been described from the Miocene of Moldova. Description Adult seals are recognizable by their black skin, which carries four white markings: a strip around the neck, one around the tail and a circular marking on each body side, which encloses the front fins. The contrast is particularly strong with the males, while with females the difference in color between bright and dark portions is often less conspicuous. Newborn ribbon seal pups have white Lanugo, natal fur. After moulti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harp Seal
The harp seal (''Pagophilus groenlandicus''), also known as the saddleback seal or Greenland seal, is a species of earless seal, or true seal, native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. Originally in the genus '' Phoca'' with a number of other species, it was reclassified into the monotypic genus ''Pagophilus'' in 1844. In Greek, its scientific name translates to " ice-lover from Greenland," and its taxonomic synonym, ''Phoca groenlandica'' translates to "Greenlandic seal." This is the only species in the genus ''Pagophilus''. Description The mature harp seal has pure black eyes. It has a silver-gray fur covering its body, with black harp- or wishbone-shaped markings dorsally, accounting for its common name. Adult harp seals grow to be long and weigh from . The harp seal pup has a white coat for the first 2–3 weeks until the first molt where it's replaced by a black-dotted silver to gray coat. They acquire their characteristic pattern once they near sexua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hooded Seal
The hooded seal or bladdernose seal (''Cystophora cristata'') is a large phocid found only in the central and western North Atlantic, ranging from Svalbard in the east to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the west. The seals are typically silver-grey or white in color, with black spots that vary in size covering most of the body. Hooded seal pups are known as "blue-backs" because their coats are blue-grey on the back with whitish bellies. This coat is shed after 14 months of age when the pups molt. It is the only species in the genus ''Cystophora''. Naming The generic name ''Cystophora'' means "bladder-bearer" in Greek, from the species' unusual sexual ornament – a peculiar inflatable bladder septum on the head of the adult male. This bladder hangs between the eyes and down over the upper lip in the deflated state. In addition, the hooded seal can inflate a large balloon-like sac from one of its nostrils. This is done by shutting one nostril valve and inflating a membrane, which t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bearded Seal
The bearded seal (''Erignathus barbatus''), also called the square flipper seal, is a medium-sized pinniped that is found in and near to the Arctic Ocean. It gets its Genus, generic name from two Greek language, Greek words (''eri'' and ''gnathos'') that refer to its heavy jaw. The other part of its Linnaean taxonomy, Linnaean name means bearded and refers to its most characteristic feature, the conspicuous and very abundant whiskers. When dry, these whiskers curl very elegantly, giving the bearded seal a "raffish" look. Bearded seals are the largest northern phocid. They have been found to weigh as much as with the females being the largest. However, male and female bearded seals are not very Sexual dimorphism, dimorphic. The only member of the genus ''Erignathus'', the bearded seal is unique in that it is an intermediate. Bearded seals belong to the family Phocidae which contains two subfamilies: Phocinae and Monachinae. The bearded seal possesses characteristics of both of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weddell Seal
The Weddell seal (''Leptonychotes weddellii'') is a relatively large and abundant Earless seal, true seal with a Subantarctic, circumpolar distribution surrounding Antarctica. The Weddell seal was discovered and named in the 1820s during expeditions led by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British Seal hunting, sealing captain James Weddell to the area of the Southern Ocean now known as the Weddell Sea. The Life history theory, life history of this species is well documented since it occupies fast ice environments close to the Antarctica, Antarctic continent and often adjacent to Antarctic bases. It is the only species in the genus ''Leptonychotes''. Description Weddell seals measure about long and weigh . They are amongst the largest seals, with a rather bulky body and short fore flippers relative to their body length. Males weigh less than females, usually about or less. Male and female Weddell seals are generally about the same length, though females can be sligh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crabeater Seal
The crabeater seal (''Lobodon carcinophaga''), also known as the krill-eater seal, is a true seal with a circumpolar distribution around the coast of Antarctica. They are the only member of the genus ''Lobodon''. They are medium- to large-sized (over 2 m in length), relatively slender and pale-colored, found primarily on the free-floating pack ice that extends seasonally out from the Antarctic coast, which they use as a platform for resting, mating, social aggregation and accessing their prey. They are by far the most abundant seal species in the world. While population estimates are uncertain, there are at least 7 million and possibly as many as 75 million individuals. This success of this species is due to its specialized predation on the abundant Antarctic krill of the Southern Ocean, for which it has uniquely adapted, sieve-like tooth structure. Indeed, its scientific name, translated as "lobe-toothed (''lobodon'') crab eater (''carcinophaga'')", refers specifically ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pinniped
Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely range (biology), distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant taxon, extant families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the walrus), Otariidae (the eared seals: sea lions and fur seals), and Phocidae (the earless seals, or true seals), with 34 extant species and more than 50 extinct species described from fossils. While seals were historically thought to have descended from two ancestral lines, molecular phylogenetics, molecular evidence supports them as a monophyletic group (descended from one ancestor). Pinnipeds belong to the suborder Caniformia of the order Carnivora; their closest living relatives are musteloids (Mustelidae, weasels, Procyonidae, raccoons, skunks and red pandas), having diverged about 50 million years ago. Seals range in size from the and Baikal seal to the and southern elephant seal. Several species exhibit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ross Seal
The Ross seal (''Ommatophoca rossii'') is a true seal (family Phocidae) with a range confined entirely to the pack ice of Antarctica. It is the only species of the genus ''Ommatophoca''. First described during the Ross expedition in 1841, it is the smallest, least abundant and least well known of the Antarctic pinnipeds. Its distinctive features include disproportionately large eyes, whence its scientific name (''Ommato-'' meaning "eye", and ''phoca'' meaning "seal"), and complex, trilling and siren-like vocalizations. Ross seals are brachycephalic as they have a short broad muzzle, and also have shorter fur than any other seal. Taxonomy and evolution The Ross seal shares a recent common ancestor with three other extant Antarctic seals, which are together known as the lobodontine seals. The other species are the crabeater seal (''Lobodon carcinophaga''), leopard seal (''Hydrurga leptonyx'') and Weddell seal (''Leptonychotes weddelli''). These species, collectively belonging to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pagophilic
Pagophily or pagophilia is the preference or dependence on water ice for some or all activities and functions. The term ''Pagophila'' is derived from the Ancient Greek ''pagos'' meaning "sea-ice", and ''philos'' meaning "-loving". Pagophilic animals, plants, etc. prefer to live in ice or perform certain activities in the ice. For example, a number of ice seals are described as pagophilic as they have adapted to breed and feed in association with their ice habitat. The preference for a frozen habitat has been observed in several mammalian, avian and invertebrate species. Evolutionary and adaptive basis The dependence and preference for ice and snow is believed to have an evolutionary basis dating back to the last ice age, approximately 2.6 million years ago. In a period where the earth was covered in ice pans, the ancestors of pagophilic mammals developed the ability to hunt on and around ice out of necessity. Some researchers have argued that life originated in icy habitats, in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
