Ribbon Seal

The ribbon seal is a medium-sized pinniped from the true seal family. 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. Predators of the ribbon seal include the killer whale, Greenland shark and polar bear. Adult ribbon seals of both sexes measure an average 1.6m (maximum 1.9m) in length, and weigh an average 70-80kg (maximum 148kg). Food Habits: Ribbon seals eat a variety of crustaceans (e.g., shrimps, mysiids, crabs) and cephalopods (mostly squid), but their main prey is fish. Fish species include walleye pollock, arctic and saffron cod, eelpout, capelin, Greenland halibut, pricklebacks, herring and sandlance. Adult males are the most striking, having a dark brown to black coat with white ribbons, while adult females range from silvery-gray to dark brown with paler ribbons. Juvenile ribbon seals typically have indistinct ribbons that gradually develop over 3 years with each successive annual molt. MIGRATION: There is very little information on the migratory patterns of the ribbon seal. Seals from the Bering Sea may either remain there throughout the year or migrate to the Chukchi Sea during the summer. Seals from the Sea of Okhotsk may summer in the Bering Sea.

Scientific name: Histriophoca fasciata

Rank: Species

Higher classification: Histriophoca

Phylum: Chordata