The larga seal, better known as the spotted seal, is a seal of the northern Pacific that lives along the edge of the sea ice; in the US it is found off western and northern Alaska. It has a round head, a narrow dog-like snout, and a silvery to light gray coat densely covered with dark spots, and in Alaska it is easy to mistake for the harbor seal. In winter and spring it lives on the pack ice, where pups are born in a fluffy white coat.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Adults are about 5–5.5 ft (1.5–1.7 m) long and weigh roughly 180–240 lb (80–110 kg). Males and females look alike.
Look-alikes
Spotted seals have a narrower, dog-like snout and a pale coat with dense dark spots. Where both live, such as Bristol Bay, even experts can have trouble telling them apart.
Why they get mixed upThey are close relatives of similar size and both have spotted coats.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- sea ice edge
- coastal waters
- beaches and sandbars
- Range
- In the US, spotted seals live off western and northern Alaska, from Bristol Bay to the Beaufort Sea. Worldwide, they range across the northern Pacific from the Bering and Okhotsk Seas south to the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan.
- Seasonal presence
- In winter they stay with the pack ice in the Bering Sea. As the ice retreats in spring and summer, they move to Alaska's coasts and haul out on shore; in October and November they head back south through the Bering Strait with the advancing ice.
- Preferred conditions
- They feed over the continental shelf, usually in water less than 650 ft (200 m) deep.
- Seasons
In Alaska
Breeding Mar–May
Behavior
- Diet
- Mostly fish, especially Pacific herring and walleye pollock, plus crustaceans and squid or octopus.
- Social life
- They gather in large groups when pupping and . During breeding season, a male, a female, and her pup often stay together as a family trio.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- In the Bering Sea, pups are born on the ice from late March through May, peaking in early to mid-April.
- Litter size
- 1 pup
- Time to maturity
- Nearly all mature by age 5.
- Lifespan
- Up to about 35 years
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
- Status
- All spotted seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Alaska population was found not to need Endangered Species Act listing, but the southern population off China and Russia, outside US waters, is listed as threatened.
- Threats
- Loss of sea ice due to climate change is the biggest threat, along with oil spills, noise, and growing Arctic shipping.
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- Alaska Natives have long hunted ice seals for subsistence, and since 2006 NOAA has co-managed the harvest with the Ice Seal Committee.
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