Le phoque barbu
Ce plus grand des "vrais" phoques de l'Arctique arbore une élégante moustache !
Ce qu'il faut savoir sur : Bearded Seal
Our Expert Says… "Despite their size, bearded seals are quite a laid back species! We can often get quite close to them in the Zodiacs without disturbing them, and young bearded seal pups are curious and playful. The adults' sheer size makes you realize how powerful Polar Bears must be to take these as prey."
The bearded seal’s most prominent feature is the large number of long bushy whiskers they grow, although we think this makes them look more like they have a large mustache than a beard!
Bearded seals are one of the largest of the arctic seal species, with the biggest females weighing up to 230kg (500lb) and growing up to almost 2.7m (9ft) long. Male bearded seals are smaller, but both sexes share the same coloration - generally a brownish-gray, becoming slightly darker on the back. Bearded seals also have uniquely-shaped front flippers, which gives them their other name, the square flipper seal.
Polar bears hunt bearded seals, and along with ringed seals, they constitute a major part of the bears’ diet. These seals were also hunted by Inuit populations who used the bearded seal’s tough skin for making sled harnesses, shoes, and other items where strength was required.
Bearded seals can be found across the whole arctic and sub-arctic region, with occasional sightings of animals much further south into European or Japanese waters. Their total numbers are unknown, but the population is thought to be stable, and their wide range means they are under the least threat of extinction.
The whiskers of the bearded seal are not merely to make them look dapper! They prefer feeding in water that isn’t deeper than about 1,000ft, and they probe the ocean floor using the sensitive hairs on their noses to find clams, squid, and flatfish that hide in the soft sediment. They will also catch fish above the seafloor, including arctic cod, and have been known to eat sea anemones and marine worms.
Pupping occurs in April and May among most populations, and the pups are born on small ice floes usually above shallow water. The pups are able to enter the water and swim just a few hours after birth and develop their swimming skills very quickly. They are weaned from their mothers after only 20 days or so.
As well as polar bears, orcas will also hunt bearded seals. Sometimes orcas will tip the floes to get the seals into the water or raise large bow waves to wash them off in order to catch them.
Bearded Seal : Faits intéressants
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