One of the smallest seals, it is found exclusively along the shore and in the very salty Caspian sea. Evidence suggests that like similar populations, seals initially migrated along rivers, which have now ceased to exist, cutting them off from the rest of the world.
The caspian seal
At various times, illnesses like canine distemper has swept through the population, killing thousands, but thankfully never wiping out the whole population.
100 years ago, the seal population was around 1.5 million. Through various problems from humans, such as reducing fish stocks, and various illnesses this population has dropped to its current level of around 70,000.
Increasing industrial activity has lead to an increase in chemicals that damage the seals in the water. It is thought that this is having an impact of reducing the seals capacity of fighting off diseases.
Sea eagles do predate young, and are known to kill quite a few.
A die-off of around 2500 happened in December 2022. At this time, it is not clear what caused this.
The Baikal Seal is only found in lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. Like the Caspian seal it is related to the Arctic ringed seal. It is also the only exclusively pinniped fresh water species (there are other species which have subspecies which live in fresh water, but none where the whole species lives this way. Currently, there are 80,000-100,000 seals in the lake, which is the calculated carrying capacity. As such, they are not considered endangered at all.
It is unclear how seals got to the lake, though they may well have lived in the lake since it was connected to the sea, some 2 million years ago.
There is a small quota which is meant to not effect the population. While the quota may not, poaching is thought to be at least several times the amount of legal hunting, meaning that this should be taken into account but probably is not at the current time.
The biggest threat, is likely to be climate change, and warming waters is likely to have a big impact on a closed water system like this.
Seals are able to suckle for as much as 3 months, which is far more than many species. They keep growing until 20-25 and often live to 50 years old – a very impressive age compared to many other species.
Beneath this, we have a video of this species in the wild, and beneath this is a list of any articles which have been written on this species (there may as yet be none, but this will hopefully change in the future).
We are also keen to help wildlife be of value to people who live nearby, so at the bottom of the page, we are keen to list any links that will help people book to see this species in th wild.
The ringed seal inhabits the Arctic and sub-arctic, and is fairly small rarely growing to more than 1.5m long.
It is the most abundant and widest ranging seal in the Northern hemisphere (it has 2 freshwater subspecies that live in Northern Europe). It is thought to have a global population of around 2 million.
They are one of the primary prey of both polar bears and killer whales.
There are 5 recognized subspecies (3 have been eradicated, as being to similar to others).
The two fresh water subspecies are found in lakes, one in lake Lodoga in North-western Russia – with a population of 2000-3000 (down from 20,000 in 1900), and the other in lake Saimaa in Finland – the 4th largest in Europe with an area of 1600 square miles with a current population of around 400 individuals. They have been cut off from other ringed seals for around 9500 years. In 1955, the population was thought to be around 150 so it has grown nicely, but whether its population will be allowed to grow any further is anyones guess.
They are known for the skin on their head, which is called a hood – males can inflate this during mating to impress the females.
Generally living on drift ice in the arctic ocean and the North Atlantic. Highly migratory, they have been recorded increasingly far south in recent decades, including France and Portugal, with several strandings in Spain. No-one has yet identified the reason for these increasingly long migrations – but as similar distances have been recorded in the USA, it is clearly a reason that effects much of the population. Before 1940 they were hunted widely, but only subsistence hunting occurs these days, and it is thought that provided nothing else is threatening the population it can manage this level of human predation.
With the increased population, 10,000 are culled each year, to keep the population under control
There are 4 known places that they breed, and generally live 30-35 years.
The North-west Atlantic population has been roughly stable over the last 60 years, but unfortunately the North-east Atlantic population has dropped 85-90% over the last 60 years.
Bearded seal, also known as the square flipper seal
Bearded seal
They are the largest seal in northern waters, with females weighing up to 300kg. Fossils found in 2002 suggest that in the Pleistocene epoch, they were found as far south as South Carolina.
They are arctic species found on essentially all of the coast around the north pole, though having said this, they have been spotted in Japan and China, as well as around much of the European coast, as far south as Spain.
They mostly feed on prey found on the ocean floor. They generally enter the water just hours after being born. Predated on by orca and Polar bears, it is thought that Polar bears rely in this seal species quite heavily in parts of their range.
Bearded seals produce distinct trills (with their voice) that can carry 30km.
There are currently 2 recognized subspecies, imaginatively named the Eastern and Western bearded seal.
With currently large populations ( they are considered least concern) there is a thought, that as they rely on ice for some of their life it is thought that as climate change continues it could have an adverse impact on this population.
Below this is a video clip about the species, and below this is a list of any mentions that this species has had on this blog.Â
Below this, we will list any links that will help you see this species in the wild. If you wish to add your services or destination where you can see this species (or another one) click list your wild place on the home page, and fill in the form. It is a quick and simple process, which will create you a simple page to advertise your services or destination. Should you work in conservation or tourism of this species, we would also be interested in listing any articles on the species, that you might create (this will help advertise seeing this species).
The Weddell seal is a relatively abundant seal found all around Antarctica. It takes its name from the captain of the expedition ship which first described it in 1820. It is the only mammal, which overwinters in Antarctica.
Born at 25-30kg, pups generally double their birth weight in the first week. The pups will start swimming after a week or two, and are weened after around 6 weeks and start hunting independently.
Generally 6-8 years old before they first breed, though females can be far younger. They can live to be 25 years old. They are the second most numerous in Antarctic waters, with a population thought to number around 200,000.
Population counts are not regularly done, as with the population being so widespread it is very expensive. Increasing resolution of satellite images might allow a closer more regular eye to be kept on these seals.
In the early days of Antarctic exploration they were overhunted, but since this time their numbers have recovered. Its current status is considered least concern.
They can hold their breathe for as long as 80 minutes, and keeps its ice hole clear by regularly grinding on its edge with its teeth. Being able to stay under this long, they can also dive to 600m. In the incredibly cold temperatures of the Antarctic winter, they will regularly slide into the water, to warm up.
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Below is a list of articles written on this species (if any). Below that, we will add any links that will help you see this animal in the wild. Having said this, being an Antarctic resident, a trip to Antarctica is required to see these in the wild.
Far and away the most numerous seal in the world, with a current population thought to be between 7 million and 75 million, its success is thought to be as a result of its specialization on Krill, which in the Southern ocean is in great supply.
They have a sieve-like structure in their teeth which allows them to access krill with ease.
Oddly, despite their name they do not eat crabs.
Crabeater seal pups are in important food-source for the leopard seals.
They are found around the coast of Antarctica, and there do not appear to be any subspecies that have formed. It is thought that the most accurate estimate of current numbers would be in the region of 7 million individuals.
They appear to enjoy company, having been seen hauled out in groups of thousands, as well as swimming and fishing in groups of several hundred.
Oddly, they have been noted to wander inland further than any other seal. Bodies have been found 100km from water, and as high as 1000km above sea level.
It is thought that as much as 80% of pups do not survive their first year, falling prey to the leopard seals. While there are plenty of documented occasions of killer whales predating these seals, they are incredibly tenacious, and it seems that killer whales usually go after other seals which prove an easier meal.
Its range is exclusively the pack ice around the Antarctica continent. It was first described in the 1840s (on the Ross expedition), and is the smallest and least known of the Antarctic seal species.
It is estimated to have a world population of about 130,000, but a 95% confidence interval means that the population is expected to lie between 20,000 and 227,000 individuals. They are thought to live for 20 years, and be sexually mature at 3 years of age.
The Eurasian Steppe is a vast grassland that stretches in the West from Romania and Ukraine all the way through much of Russia to the Far East of the Eurasian...
Southern elephant seals can be larger than their northern cousins, with bulls often weighing 40% more during the breeding season. This is twice the weight of bull walrus, and 6-7 times the weight of Kodiak or Polar bears which are the next heaviest carnivorous mostly terrestrial mammals.
It has a shorter nose than the northern elephant seal, but the range does not overlap, so it should not be possible to confuse the two. Their size varies largely depending on where they are from. They are found in New Zealand, ArgentinaSouth Africa (though generally keep to islands off the coast). They are thought to have a population of around 750,000, though there are 3 populations, one in each ocean that dont appear to mix a great deal.
Like the Northern Elephant seal, at the end of the hunting period their population was largely depleated, though in the case of the Southern elephant seal, by less. The population is thought to be largely stable at the current time. There are fears that climate change is making life harder but time will tell.
We’re very keen to help people see these animals in the wild – do get in touch if you work with tourism around this area, or indeed in some form of hospitality – even just living near by, and eager to rent a spare room for those visiting. Click on list your wild place on the home page – you can start advertising what you have available.
Young male northern elephant seal with dangling proboscis nose sits up on California beach in morning light.
Northern elephant seal
The Northern elephant seal lives in the East pacific ocean. They spend the majority of their life at sea, only coming ashore to birth, breed and molt. The majority of the beaches that these activities occur on, are along the California coast, on remote beaches and islands off the coast. The number of breeding beaches has increased as the species has recovered.
From the 18th century, they were hunted for their blubber which could be made into oil. This went on until the wild population was only thought to number 20-40. In 1874 a large male (18foot bull 5.4m length) yielded 210 gallons of oil.
They were thought to be extinct in 1884, until a colony of 8 individuals was found in the Guadalupe islands in 1894 (several of these few survivors were instantly killed to be added to various collections!). Thankfully, somehow they avoided extinction and in 1922 Mexico banned their hunting, with USA doing the same thing at a similar time. This has worked, with the population currently thought to number around 100,000 in the wild.
Unfortunately, this genetic bottleneck is still very evident in the current population, and as reduced their ability to cope with disease and changes in their habitat. While populations are continuing to recover at roughly 6% a year, there are places in the south where climate change appears to be reducing their populations – and el nino years often result in almost no pups surviving.
