One of the largest seal species that live in the area of the Arctic Ocean, is a sea hare, or bearded seal.He lives in almost all the Arctic seas and adjacent waters.Bearded seal can be found on the east bank of the East Siberian Sea to the Chukchi Sea, off Cape Borrow, in the waters of Spitsbergen, Severnaya Zemlya.In addition, these animals live in the shallow waters of the Kara, Barents and White seas.Lakhtak took a fancy to a large part of the Sea of Okhotsk, and even reached the coast of South Sakhalin.It can be found in the waters of the North Atlantic, as well as the western and eastern coast of Greenland.Some individuals sometimes, do not on their own, migrate, even in the North Pole, which puts them on the ice.
How does the sea hare?He has a pretty massive body, against which the head and fins seem small.Length adults of this species is from 2.2 to 3 m, depending on the habitat and its weight and can be up to 360 kg.Bearded seal has a slightly elongated snout and shorter neck.Adults different monochrome brownish-gray back, which becomes the bottom light gray.Many individuals along the back there is a kind of strap - dark band with fuzzy contours.Females and males have the same color.
Bearded seal has a pronounced feature that distinguishes it from other seals - big thick and long lip whiskers (a kind of mustache) smooth and flat shapes.The rest of the scalp - a rough and relatively sparse.Newborn seals have a soft gray-brown hair coat, which resembles fur coat.At the head of the animals are whitish spots.The third finger on the front flippers longest.The teeth are quite small, which leads to rapid abrasion.That's why adults gums they perform slightly.
What kind of a seasonal migration of long bearded seal does not do.Most of these animals are considered sedentary species, although slight distance move constantly.Depending on the area of habitat they can move both actively and passively (on the ice).On the ice, they are usually located singly, in rare cases, their number comes up to three individuals.On the ice seal does not jumps, he climbs on it jerks who carries out attacks using hind flippers on the water.In autumn you can watch the big coastal rookeries.
Bearded preys on benthic and demersal animals, mainly at a depth of 60 meters.There are rare cases where seals are lowered to a depth of 150 meters.The diet is dependent on habitats.Objects of this type of power seals are more than 70 species, including crustaceans, molluscs, worms, various fish.In most cases, a diet of mixed foods.
adults Mating occurs on the ice after a lactation period.Pregnancy takes almost a year.Puppy occurs from March to May.Those seals that inhabit the Sea of Okhotsk, it ends a month earlier, and the Canadian Archipelago, and the Bering Sea - only in May.Newborn sea hare covered with dense dark-brown fur, which is held not more than three weeks.The length of its body is 120 cm. His mother's milk nourishes the baby only 4 weeks.
By nature, this type of seal is a fairly good-natured animal, shows no aggression.Surprisingly, the males do not conflict even in the mating season.
