The Ringed Seal Pusa hispida Schreber, 1775

Subspecies: P. h. hispida

Molting pup of ringed seal. Photograph by Eugene Mamaev

Adult size is up to 1.6 m, and weight is 70 kg (reraly up to 110 kg). Cubs are born 65 cm long and weigh 5 kg.

Ringed seals have a circumpolar distribution and the border of their habitat accurately coincides with the border of pack and land ice. The species forms a number of subspecies, including isolated ones in the Baltic Sea, Lake Saimaa and Lake Ladoga. In the North Pacific inhabits the subspecies P. h. hispida.

The ration of ringed seals consists of crustaceans and small fish species.

Breeding takes place from March to April on the ice in the snow-and-ice caves, constructed by females. After milk feeding the cubs start to molt and can go quite far from the place of birth.

The total population of species reaches 2.5-7 milion individuals.

Ringed seals were first included in the list of species of seals, inhabited the coastal waters of the Commander Islands, by Leonhard Stejneger in 1896.

Single individuals are periodically registered on the Commander islands including molting cubs as well. The last molting cub was registered in 2013.