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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
hooded
seal |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Pinnipedia |
| FAMILY: |
Phocidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Cystophora
cristata |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Hooded
seals have a light gray to blue-gray coloration
with irregularly shaped light or dark blotches. |
| MALE |
Males
exhibit a characteristic enlarged nasal cavity (hood)
which is inflated for display during courtship and
as an aggressive posture for defense. |
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| SIZE: |
|
| MALE |
2.74-3.04
m (9-10 ft.)
|
| FEMALE |
1.83-2.14
m (6-7 ft.) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
|
| MALE |
408
kg (900 lbs.)
|
| FEMALE |
317
kg (700 lbs.) |
|
| DIET: |
Various
fishes, squid and octopi |
|
| GESTATION: |
11.5 months with a delayed implantation of up to
3.7 months |
| ESTRAL
PERIOD |
Typically
at the end of lactation |
| NURSING
DURATION |
Pups
are born with a well-developed blubber layer and
only nurse for 4 days on average |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
|
| MALE |
4-6
years |
| FEMALE |
2-9
years |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
Can
live 30-35 years |
|
| RANGE: |
Throughout
the Northwestern Atlantic and in the Greenland
Sea. Small numbers of individuals are increasingly
seen along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida.
Individuals (usually juveniles) have been found
as far south as the Virgin Islands and Puerto
Rico.
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| HABITAT: |
Gather
in large numbers on ice floes to breed. Feed in
deep, pelagic waters. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Lower
Risk/least concern |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Hooded
seals belong to the scientific order Pinnipedia,
which includes seals, sea lions, and walruses. |
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| 2. |
Seals
differ from sea lions in a number of ways, including
having shorter, stouter flippers, and no visible
earflaps. |
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| 3. |
Hooded
seals are named for the bi-lobed hood-an enlargement
of the nasal cavity on the heads of males. The male
can inflate the hood and move air back and forth
between the two lobes. In addition, the male can
also inflate a bright, red, membranous "balloon"
that usually originates from the left nostril. The
inflated hood and balloon are often used in visual
displays for courtship, for dominance, and as a
threat. |
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| 4. |
View
the pinniped
teacher guide. |
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| 5. |
View
tracking data associated with the hooded seal released
by SeaWorld on July 9, 1997 - WhaleNet. |
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| As
for other marine mammals, the U.S. Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972 protects hooded seals in
U.S. waters.
Polar
bears and occasionally killer whales are predators
of hooded seals.
Hooded
seals have been hunted throughout their range
for their oil, meat and skins- especially the
thick pelts of newborn seals (called bluebacks).
Because of bans in the U.S. and Europe, the market
for pelts is currently poor, which reduces hunting
pressure on pups.
In
Canada, hooded seals are federally managed by
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). This protection
provides annual hunting quotas for hooded seal
populations, prohibits the hunting of pups (bluebacks),
and prohibits the hunting of adults when they
are on the breeding grounds.
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|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Bonner,
N. Seals and Sea Lions of the World. New
York. Facts on File, Inc. 2004. |
|
| Byrum,
J. Pinnipeds From Pole to Pole: Seals, Sea Lions
and Walruses. SeaWorld Education Department
Publication. San Diego. SeaWorld, Inc. 2000. |
|
|
Jefferson,
T.J. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. FAO Species
Identification Guide. Marine Mammals of the World.
Rome. FAO, 1993.
|
|
| Nowak,
Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Marine Mammals of the
World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press,
2003. |
|
| Parker,
S. (ed.). Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol. IV. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.,
1990. |
|
| Reeves,
R. R., Stewart, B.S., Clapman, P.J., and J.A. Powell
(Peter Folkens illustrator). National Audubon
Society: Guide to Marine Mammals of the World.
New York: Random House, 2002. |
|
| Reeves,
R.R., Stewart, B.S. and S. Stephen. The Sierra
Club Handbook of Seals and Sirenians. San Francisco:
Sierra Club Books, 1992. |
|
| Ridgway,
S.H. and R.J. Harrison (Eds). Handbook of Marine
Mammals: Volume 2: Seals. London. Academic Press,
1981. |
|
| Riedman,
M. The Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses.
Berkeley and Los Angeles. University of California
Press. 1990. |
|
Fisheries
and Oceans Canada
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/seal-phoque/facts-faits/facts-faits2004_e.htm#top |
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