Archive for the PINNIPEDS Category

"Leptonychotes weddellii"  Weddell Seals are known for their loud underwater calls that can be heard above the ice. The species is named after Captain James Weddell who first spotted these seals and documented them in the 1820's. The adult coat of these fascinating seals is dark gray-black, mottled with darkerRead more →

"Phoca largha" Spotted Seals vary in size among their different populations. On average, adult males measure 1.5-2.1 meters in length and weigh 85-150 kilograms and adult females measure 1.4-1.7 meters in length and weigh 65-115 kilograms. There is also variation in the coloring of adult coats, but generally Spotted Seals areRead more →

"Pusa hispida" Ringed Seals are the smallest seal species and get their name from the light-colored circular patterns that appear on their darker gray backs. Some of these markings are so dense, that they take on the look of splattered paint. The measurements of these subspecies vary greatly.Read more →

"Otaria byronia" Southern Sea Lions are also called the South American Sea Lion and the Patagonian Sea Lion and vary in size within the species and between males & females. Adult males measure an average of 2.6 meters long and weigh around 300 kilograms, while adult females measureRead more →

"Mirounga leonina" Southern Elephant Seals are named for their elephant trunk-like noses. Adult males are larger than the females and sizes also range within the same-sex in this species. They are enormous in size being the largest pinniped species. Adult males weigh between 2,200-4,000 kilograms are average length ofRead more →

"Phocarctos hookeri"  New Zealand Sea Lions also known as Hooker's Sea Lions and "whakahao" in Māori, the New Zealand native people, are one of the rarest and most endangered of the pinniped family. Males measure between 2.0-3.25 meters in length and weigh 300-450 kilograms, while adult females measure 1.6-2 meters in length and weighRead more →

"Ommatophoca rossii" Ross Seals are unique in that they are the only Antarctic seal whose range is restricted to the Antarctic seas and they have never been documented in extra-polar regions. Ross Seals are named for Commander James Clark Ross of the H.M.S. Erebus, a British exploration shipRead more →

"Histriophoca fasciata" Ribbon Seals are an elusive seal species for researchers because of their remote habitat. These seals measure an average of 1.6 meters (maximum 1.9 meters) in length and weigh an average 70-80 kilograms (maximum 148 kilograms) both males & females. The Latin name for the Ribbon Seal means "seal withRead more →

"Eumetopias jubatus" Northern Sea Lions also known as Steller's Sea Lions, named for the naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller who first described them in 1741, are the largest of the Otariidae (eared seal) family. Adult males measure 2.8-3.2 meters in length and weigh an average 566 kilograms (maximum 1,120 kilograms). FemalesRead more →

"Callorhinus ursinus" Northern Fur Seals are a highly migratory species and have been known to travel distances of up to 10,000 kilometers. Also known as the Pribilof Fur Seal and the Alaska Fur Seal, females & juveniles from the Pribilof Islands migrate to offshore waters from Canada down to CaliforniaRead more →