Histriophoca fasciata

Phoque rubanné

Synonymes: Phoca fasciata - Other names:

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The ringed seal or Histriophoca fasciata ( Ribbon Seal for the english-speaking) is a carnivorous Mammifère , Pinnipède of Phocidé S, living generally solitairement in Arctique areas.

Histriophoca fasciata is only Histriophoca . In certain classifications the Histriophoca is absent, and is named Phoca fasciata Zimmermann, 1783.

Description

The adults recognizable with their peeling black are decorated of four white marks which could have a certain utility as regards camouflage vis-a-vis the bears or orcs on the ice-barrier: a band encircles the neck, one the tail and a circular ring decorates each side of the body, largely surrounding the “fin” front. Contrast stronger in the males, is attenuated in the females.
Le new-born has a white fur, which evolves/moves after moults towards the blue gray on the back and silver plated in lower part, and towards typical peeling after a few years. The drawing is made up at 4 years.

This species has a inflatable air bag connected to the trachea, located on the right-sided on the coasts, larger in the male than the female. This body could be used for vocalizations under water. This seal reaches 1,6 m of length and 95 kg (210 pounds), at the two sexes.

Habitat

Arctic part of the Pacific Ocean.
L' winter and in spring, it goes up on the Banquise where it is nourished, driven and gives birth. He lives then at the edge of the ice-barrier in Bering Sea and the Mer of Okhotsk. The summer and with the autumn, he saw in Interstitial water, even if some to move towards north, with the Banquise which moves back with the rise in the temperatures.
On knows few things of their practices at this period of the year if it is not that they comes loint from the grounds and the glance of the man. It is a species which almost never comes to ground.

Behavior

Its food mode is composed almost exclusively of animals Pélagique: fish (Goberge, eelpout (to be translated), Arctic Cod and Cephalopods (squids or octopuses); The young people consume also Crustacé S. It plunges up to 200 m of depth to find its food. It is solitary and does not seem to form bands. The sexual Maturité is reached at there female at the age from 2 to 5 years and them in the males at the age from 3 to 6 years. It can live at least 25 years. The coupling takes place of the end April at the beginning May.

The young people are born on the ice in April - May. They are nourished four weeks of the rich person milk of their mother, then leave it. They remain on the ice a few weeks moreover, time to lose their fur white and dense, by losing at this period much weight, after which they are able to plunge and drive out in an autonomous way.

their Prédateurs is in particular the épaulard, the Requin of Greenland and the Polar bear.

Protection

The young ringed seal resembles the seals whose fur is marketed and they also were driven out and killed for their fur. but not forming herds, they are more difficult to detect and capture that the seal of Greenland.

Since the Soviet Union limited hunting of this species (in 1969) the population of ringed seals reconstituted the manpower estimated at approximately 250.000 individuals.

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