Ringed seal, or akiba Phoca hispida (Pusa hispida). Ringed seal Akiba ringed seal

Ringed seal, akiba or ringed seal (lat. Phoca hispida) is the closest relative, which is most often found in the Arctic: according to the most conservative estimates, there are about 4 million heads in the world. The seal got its name due to the pattern on its fur, which consists of a large number of light rings on a dark background.

The average weight of an adult ringed seal can reach 100 kg with a body length of up to 1.4 m. Moreover, males are slightly larger than females. Akiba has excellent vision, hearing and smell, which help the animal find food and hide from predators in time. The body of the seal is short and thick, the head is small, the muzzle is slightly flattened, but the neck is so short and thick that it seems as if it is not there at all.

Depending on their habitat, four subspecies of ringed seals are distinguished:

On the drifting ice floes of the Northern Arctic Ocean you can meet the White Sea ringed seal ( P. h. hispida), which is considered the most widespread seal in its geographic area.
In the coldest areas Baltic Sea lives the Baltic ringed seal ( P. h. botnica). She liked the coasts of Switzerland, Estonia, Finland and Russia. From time to time she makes it to Germany. This is the largest subspecies of the ringed seal.
The Ladoga ringed seal ( P. h. ladogensis). She got here about 11 thousand years ago, when the last ice age. At that time, the huge glacier retreated, and the previous water level changed, which did not give the seal the opportunity to return to the waters of the Arctic Ocean. Today the number of this subspecies is only 2-3 thousand individuals, which is ten times less than it was at the beginning of the last century. The Ladoga seal is included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation; hunting for it has been prohibited since 1980, but this does not in the least prevent poachers.
Finally, the Saimaa ringed seal settled in the freshwater Lake Saimaa ( P. h. saimensis). She has been living here for more than 8 thousand years, but in lately is in danger of extinction. There are a total of 310 Saimaa seals, of which no more than 70 are females capable of fertilizing.

Ringed seals do not like noisy companies, so they never form colonies. Most often they stay alone, although sometimes they gather in small groups, which, however, are not very stable. All year round they spend time at sea, for which their body is very well adapted.

At the age of four years, females become sexually mature. Males are capable of procreation from the age of 5-7 years. In April-May, ringed seals begin their mating period; pregnancy lasts 11 months, including a three-month latent stage.

In March-April of the following year, females give birth to one large calf, whose body length reaches 50-60 cm and weighs about 4 kg. It is all covered with beautiful white thick fur, which lasts only a month and a half, giving way to ordinary gray wool, through which you can see the rings characteristic of the species.

The expectant mother carefully prepares for the birth of a new member of the seal society: she builds herself a reliable shelter among the snow hummocks, the entrance to which is under water, so that the newborn becomes inaccessible to predators. The baby lives in his house for about two months, feeding on his mother's milk. At the same time, the female goes hunting every day. The lifespan of ringed seals is about 40 years.

Ringed seal (other names: akiba, ringed seal) is an animal from the order of pinnipeds that lives in the Arctic. It is a close relative of the common seal. There are 4 subspecies ringed seal : White Sea, Baltic, Ladoga and Saimaa. Two of them (Baltic and Ladoga) are listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Appearance of the ringed seal

The ringed seal is quite small in size, its body length rarely reaches 1.5 meters, and its weight exceeds 100 kg. Males are slightly larger in size than females. The body is short and dense, thickened.

The head is small, the neck is short. There is no long hair, there is only short and hard hair, streamlined and smooth when wet. The coloring is very unusual and distinctive. The body is dark gray, sometimes almost black, with bright spots and rings scattered throughout the body, with the exception of the flippers and belly. Thanks to this coloring the animal got its name.

The seal has well-developed sensory organs: it has excellent vision, smell and hearing.

Habitats of the ringed seal

The distribution area of the ringed seal differs depending on its subspecies.

Thus, the White Sea subspecies lives in the coastal zones of the seas of the Arctic Ocean, being one of the most common species of pinnipeds in these latitudes.

The Baltic subspecies is distributed in the Baltic Sea on the coasts of Estonia, Russia, Sweden and Finland. Very rare in Germany.

The habitat of the Ladoga subspecies is the water area Lake Ladoga with the sources of the Neva River. Periodically moves from the lake to the Gulf of Finland.

The Saimaa subspecies is common in Lake Saimaa in Finland and is the only endemic mammal of that country.

Ringed seals They lead a solitary lifestyle and rarely form groups. This usually happens in the summer, when 30-50 individuals gather in coastal zone and set up rookeries. Closer to winter, seals travel singly on drifting ice floes away from the shore.

The ringed seal is an excellent swimmer and diver. She can hold her breath for 15-20 minutes, diving to a depth of 50 meters.

This animal feeds on fish: herring, navaga, capelin, cod, etc. The seal does not disdain crustaceans, invertebrates and zooplankton. It is quite easy for her to find food and the question of how and where to get food never becomes too pressing.

Seals spend most of their time underwater, swimming under ice floes. To get to the surface, they create “crawls” - holes through which they can climb onto the ice floe. If the seal only needs to breathe, then they create “vents” - small holes in the ice.

The number of ringed seals varies depending on the subspecies. The Belomorsky subspecies is very numerous and is not endangered.

The Baltic subspecies tends to decline; the number of individuals currently does not reach 50 thousand.

The number of individuals of the Ladoga subspecies is about 20 thousand, and the Saimaa subspecies is no more than 100.

The main negative factor affecting the number of ringed seal individuals is:

pollution of the lakes and seas in which they live
waste discharges and industrial waste
uncontrolled fishing and active economic activity throughout the distribution area.

Natural enemies that influence the number of ringed seal individuals are polar bears, arctic foxes, killer whales and walruses.

Reproduction of the ringed seal

The active breeding season of ringed seals, like many other animals, begins in the spring. Pregnancy lasts 11 months, 3 of which are latent. The expectant mother prepares a reliable shelter for herself and the baby, constructing a shelter from snow hummocks. It must have a hole in the ice through which you can get into the water and swim to the surface.

In March-April, the female gives birth to one calf weighing about 5 kg. Within a month, it is covered with beautiful snow-white fur, which gradually gives way to dark gray wool. Feeding with milk lasts 2-3 months.

Seals reach sexual maturity at the age of 5-7 years. The lifespan of these animals is 30-35 years.

Protection of the ringed seal

Ringed seal listed in the International Red Book with the status of “species of least concern”. In Russia, the Baltic and Ladoga subspecies are protected. A special program for the protection of the Saimaa subspecies has been developed in Finland ringed seal. In general, there is a need to create reserves and constantly monitor the numbers of these animals.

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Ringed seals are small mammals from the genus of common seals. I also call them ringed seals or akibs. They got their name thanks to the interesting patterns on the back, shaped like rings. Thanks to their thick subcutaneous fat, these seals can withstand low temperatures, which allows them to settle in the Arctic and subarctic regions. In Svalbard, ringed seals breed on ground ice in all fjords.

In addition to the inhabitants northern seas, freshwater subspecies are also observed, which are found in lakes Ladoga and Saimaa.

Description

Akibas are small seals from silver-gray to brown. Their bellies are usually gray, while their backs are darker and have a noticeable pattern of small rings, which is how they get their name.

The body is dense, short, covered with plush fur. The head is small, the neck is not long.

They have large claws more than 2.5 cm thick, thanks to which they cut holes in the ice. As is known, such burrows can reach depths of up to two meters.

Adult animals reach a length of 1.1 to 1.6 m and weigh 50-100 kilograms. Like all northern seals, their body mass varies markedly depending on the season. Ringed seals are fattest in the fall and significantly thinner in late spring and early summer, after the breeding season and annual molt. Males are slightly larger than females, and in the spring, males appear much darker than females due to the oily secretion of glands in the muzzle area. At other times of the year they are difficult to distinguish. At birth, the cubs are about 60 cm long and weigh about 4.5 kg. They are covered with light gray fur, lighter on the belly and darker on the back. Fur patterns develop with age.

Thanks good developed vision, smell and hearing - seals are excellent hunters.

Habitat and habits

As mentioned above, the main habitat of these cute predators is the Arctic and subarctic. Throughout most of their range, they use sea ice exclusively as a breeding, molting, and resting site. They crawl onto land rarely and reluctantly.

They lead an isolated lifestyle. They rarely gather in groups; this mostly happens in mating season, in the warm season. Then in the coastal zone you can find rookeries of ringed seals, numbering up to 50 individuals.

Their ability to create and maintain breathing holes in the ice allows them to live even in areas where other animals, also adapted to low temperatures, they cannot be there.

Despite their good adaptation to frost, ringed seals sometimes face temperature problems in the Arctic winter. In order to shelter from the cold, they create lairs in the snow at the top sea ice. Such burrows are especially important for neonatal survival.

Ringed seals - excellent divers. They are capable of diving to more than 500 m, although in the main feeding areas the depth does not exceed this mark.

Nutrition

Outside the breeding and molting season, the distribution of ringed seals is adjusted by the availability of food. Numerous studies have been conducted on their diet, and despite significant regional differences, general patterns emerge.

The main food of these animals is fish, typical for a particular region. As a rule, no more than 10-15 victims with 2-4 dominant species are found in the field of view of seals. They select food that is small in size - up to 15 cm in length and up to 6 cm in width.

They eat fish more often than invertebrates, but the choice often depends on the season and energy value production

Typically, the diet of the ringed seal includes nutritious cod, perch, herring and capelin, which are rich in the waters of the northern seas.

The consumption of invertebrate animals appears to be becoming relevant in summer time, and predominates in the diet of young livestock.

Reproduction

Female ringed seals reach sexual maturity at the age of 4 years, while males only reach sexual maturity at the age of 7 years. Females dig small caves in thick ice on an ice floe or shore. The offspring are born after a nine-month pregnancy in March or April. As a rule, one cub is born. Weaning off milk takes just over 1 month. During this time, the newborn gains up to 20 kg of weight. After just a few weeks, they can stay underwater for 10 minutes.

After the birth of the babies, the females are again ready to mate, usually at the end of April. After fertilization, males usually leave expectant mother in search of a new object for copulation.

Lifespan of ringed seals in wildlife, according to various sources, is 25-30 years.

Number

Available data on ringed seal distribution were compiled and analyzed as part of the 2016 IUCN Red List for the five recognized subspecies. Estimates of the number of mature individuals and population trends for each of these subspecies were as follows:

Arctic ringed seal - 1,450,000, trend unknown;
Okhotsk ringed seal - 44,000, unknown;
Baltic ringed seal - 11,500, population increase;
Ladoga - 3000-4500, upward trend;
Saimaa - 135 - 190, increase in subspecies.

Due to the large spatial scale, it is quite difficult to trace the exact number of subspecies in the Arctic and Okhotsk. Citing many factors, such as the vast habitats occupied by the species, uneven occupancy in the surveyed areas, unknown relationships between observed individuals and those not observed, make it difficult for researchers to establish the exact number.

However, the above figures indicate that the number of mature individuals is more than 1.5 million, and total quantity The population is more than 3 million individuals.

Security

Except polar bears posing the greatest danger to ringed seals, these animals often become victims of walruses, wolves, wolverines, foxes, and even large crows and gulls that prey on their cubs.

However, it was not the natural regulation of the population that became the reason for the inclusion of ringed seals in the Red Book, but human factor. The fact is that, despite all the protective measures, many peoples of the north continue to hunt seals to this day as a source of valuable meat and skin.

In general, despite various programs, not a single reserve has been created in Mina in which ringed seals could freely increase their population.

About 10 thousand years ago, Lake Ladoga finally separated from the sea and became an independent body of water. The ringed seal lived in it already in these distant times and since then has practically not changed its appearance. Over time it marine mammal adapted to life in fresh waters. The Ladoga subspecies of the ringed seal is not numerous. The reason for this is its small habitat: this seal lives only in Lake Ladoga.

If on land the seal looks helpless and clumsy, then in the water it shows miracles of dexterity. Torpedo-shaped body, paws-flippers, dense, non-wetting wool, thick coat subcutaneous fat- all this helps the seal feel comfortable in the water. The seal can dive to depths of up to 300 m and hold its breath for up to 40 minutes. During periods of such deep-sea diving, the seal's metabolism slows down, which reduces the need for oxygen. The minute volume of blood flow increases primarily in vital organs: the brain, heart and liver, and in the digestive organs and skeletal muscles decreases.

"HARMFUL" SEAL

People who lived on the coast of Ladoga have hunted seals since ancient times. But traditional fishing did not cause significant damage to the seal population. Their numbers began to decline rapidly only in the 20-30s of the 20th century. At that time, there was an active hunt for seals; over a year, more than 1.5 thousand animals were hunted for their skins, fat and meat.

In the magazine “Fisheries” for 1920, an article was published where it was reported that the seal “tears nets, damages nets, pins, releases fish (valuable commercial salmon and whitefish) and eats them out of seines.” Then the animal was declared “outlaw” and began to be actively exterminated. In coastal villages and cities there were posters calling for the destruction of the “harmful beast” by all available methods. A bonus was paid for the killed seal. According to Sevzapribvod acceptance points, in the period from 1940 to 1976, hunters killed 8,387 heads. This attitude towards the seal persisted until 1980. By this time, the number of Ladoga seals had decreased to 2-3 thousand individuals.

At the end of the 20th century, the Ladoga subspecies of the ringed seal was included in the Red Books of Karelia and, as well as in the IUCN Red List. Today, hunting the Ladoga seal is prohibited, but its population is still small. There are several reasons for this, and all of them are related to humans: poaching, water pollution, ice destruction. In addition, animals often die after becoming entangled in fishing nets.

FISHING CONFLICT

IN recent years A conflict is flaring up between the seal and the fishermen, who are even calling for permission to shoot the seal. The fact is that the beast is increasingly damaging the nets and eating the caught fish. Although commercial species are not part of the seal’s main diet, it is attracted to easy prey. In her search, the animal shows miracles of ingenuity: it follows the boats of fishermen when they go out to the lake to set nets. To outwit the seal and get away from it, they swim in zigzags, burning a lot of gasoline. It was the increased activity of the seal in 2008-2011 that led to the cessation of the work of fishing artels in Priozersk and Novaya Ladoga. Another reason for the seal’s increased interest in nets is overfishing and a decrease in the number of the fish that it usually feeds on. These are mainly low-value species: vendace, smelt, bream, roach, perch and ruff. The seal especially loves to eat whitefish. During its spawning run, seals organize a collective hunt. They surround the school and prevent it from passing into the mouth of the river. A seal can eat 4-5 kg of fish per day.

LIFE IN THE ICE

The seal spends about six months of the year in the ice. Associated with them major events in the life of this seal: wintering, breeding and molting. The seal is relatively evenly distributed throughout Lake Ladoga, but prefers its southern, shallowest part, where permanent ice forms in winter. Up to 80% of seals choose this place to breed. The second most important part of Ladoga is the northern skerry areas, where another 20% of the population breeds. Seals reach sexual maturity only at the age of six. Mating occurs in January. Pregnancy lasts 11 months. Cubs appear in late February - early March.

To rest on the ice, seals use shelters in snow blows among hummocks, the entrance to which is through a hole in the ice. Usually there are several shelters, and in December the pregnant female arranges one of them as a maternity den. The seal's maternity chamber is located at a depth of up to 2 m and is much larger than the others. Its height is about 40 cm, length - 385 cm, and width - approximately 120 cm. Such a chamber can have several compartments connected by tunnels. If there are coastal rocks nearby, they often become one of the walls of the home.

Seals are conservatives. From year to year they use the same places for shelters. Often females build dens quite close to each other, at a distance of 2-3 m. At 5 square meters. km of area suitable for seal life, there can be up to 32 such shelters.

KEEP SILENCE!

Seal puppies weighing 4-5 kg are born white. The mother feeds the baby for 5-7 weeks. Seal milk is very thick and consists of 60% fat. The cub grows quickly: after 2.5 months it reaches 1 m in length and weighs 25 kg. By this time, it molts and acquires the coloration of an adult animal. During pregnancy and after childbirth, the female is very sensitive to disturbance. Even a passing motorboat or snowmobile can startle her, not to mention noise sources such as coastal construction, logging or blasting. From stress, a female seal can give birth to a premature or even dead pup, and a young mother can abandon her baby.

From April to early June, seals molt. In May, the ice melts and breaks off from the shore in pieces. On such ice floes drifting across the lake you can see large concentrations of molting animals. IN summer period When Ladoga is free of ice, seals go to land to rest. Their favorite places- islands of the Valaam archipelago. In favorable weather, the number of seals resting here can reach 600-650 individuals.

RINGED SEAL IN THE FOOD CHAIN

The diet of the Ladoga ringed seal can include 10-15 species of fish. These are various low-value commercially breeds, no more than 20 cm in size. The predominance of one or another fish depends on the season.

FOOD OF THE LADOGA RINGED SEAL

EUROPEAN Smelt (Smelt)

Migratory schooling fish of the smelt family. Has big mouth with a long lower jaw and many teeth, delicate small scales. The Ladoga smelt is distinguished from the marine population by its darker color. A predator that feeds on small fish, often juveniles of its own species. This small fish (no more than 25 cm long) in the north-west of Russia is loved not only by the seal, but also by humans. Many different dishes are prepared from it.

EUROPEAN VENDICE

View freshwater fish from the whitefish family. Lives in fresh water bodies and North-Western Russia. It feeds mainly on small crustaceans (daphnia and cyclops). In Lake Ladoga vendace lives everywhere, its catch reaches 500 tons per year. The size of the fish depends on environmental conditions. The large Ladoga vendace is called ripus and can reach a length of 40 cm and a weight of 1 kg.

COMMON FISH

An extremely polymorphic species, so it is difficult to name characteristic features. Lake forms of whitefish reach a length of 70 cm and a weight of 2 kg. Whitefish feed on plankton, small larvae and crustaceans. Sometimes it is predatory, eating eggs, including its own. It breeds at the age of 4-6 years, in autumn and winter. Incubation period continues until spring. Lake Ladoga is home to 7 species of whitefish.

COMMON ROACH

A species of fish from the carp family. It has many subspecies with their own names: roach, ram, soroga, chebak. Roach prefers warm clean water in shallow waters, where it gathers in small flocks. The fish has an oblong slender body, silvery scales, reddish fins and an orange iris. It feeds on plant and animal foods.

ENEMIES OF THE LADOGA RINGED SEAL

GRAY WOLF

A predatory mammal of the canine family. Reaches a height at the withers of 62 cm and a weight of 62 kg. Outwardly it looks like a dog, but has its own differences: the legs have a characteristic brownish-gray coat color, a massive head with an elongated muzzle. The wolf is strong and resilient, easily overcomes long distances, and can go without food for a long time. In years with little snow, when the seal cannot dig deep shelters, its pups become easy prey for predators. The wolf finds the seal by smell and digs holes.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW

Fishing nets are one of the worst dangers for seals. Animals die from suffocation and receive injuries incompatible with life. Moreover, most often young seals - fingerlings - get caught in the net. In 2007, about 360 animals died this way, 18% more than in 2003. Strong nylon nets, which are used for salmon fishing, are especially dangerous for seals.

In recent decades, scientists have noted a decrease in the thickness of the ice cover, which is caused by general climate change. This encourages Ladoga seals look for new places to build a den, closer to the shore. Here they are especially vulnerable and become easy prey for stray dogs, wolves, foxes and humans.

BRIEF CHARACTERISTICS

Class: mammals.
Order: Pinnipeds.
Family: true seals.
Genus: seals.
Species: ringed seal.
Subspecies: Ladoga ringed seal.
Latin name: Phoca hispida ladogensis.
Size: body length up to 140 cm.
Weight: no more than 50 kg.
Color: the upper part of the body is brown or black, with a frequent pattern of white rings with a diameter of 3 to 15 cm.
Life expectancy of the seal: 30-35 years.

The ringed seal, or as it is also called, the ringed seal, is a species of true seal and lives in the Arctic, in the Arctic Ocean.

You can meet ringed seals in the Baltic, Barents and Bering seas, as well as in some lakes, in particular Ladoga. The distribution range of the ringed seal is very wide. This animal is found off the coast of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, in the White Sea and near the New Siberian Islands.

The ringed seal can be found on the West Coast of Greenland, northern Norway, Spitsbergen and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The habitat of this animal includes the island of Newfoundland, Hudson Bay, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. But the most interesting thing is that the ringed seal, which usually lives in cold waters, is also found in the Mediterranean on the Cote d'Azur.

Such a wide distribution suggests that the ringed seal population is quite large. According to experts, there are about 3 million individuals in the Arctic. In more warm waters In the Baltic, Okhotsk Seas and Lake Ladoga, the population size is approaching 4 million. A much smaller number of seals is found in the waters of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago - up to 1 million heads, and in the Sea of Okhotsk there are about 800 thousand of them.

Appearance of the ringed seal

The size of the ringed seal, which is found on the Arctic coast, is small - it grows up to 1.4 meters and weighs 70 kg.

The ringed seal is believed to be one of the smallest seals. The growth of the animal stops at approximately 10 years. Females are usually smaller than males. The body of an animal that lives in water is round and thick, which is why it looks short.

The small head almost immediately turns into the body, since the neck is very small and thick. This animal looks like an elongated ball rolling on ice.

The muzzle of the ringed seal has a flattened shape, and light rings run throughout the dark, almost black body of the animal. This coloring feature of the short and stiff coat gave the species its name. The seal's belly is white, although sometimes there are individuals with a yellowish belly. There are no peculiar rings in the coloring of the peritoneum and flippers.

The ringed seal has good eyesight, excellent hearing and sense of smell. Thanks to the thick layer of fat, the animal is adapted to constant exposure to cold water.

Behavior and nutrition of the ringed seal

The ringed seal, or in other words - Akiba, likes to live where large quantities drifting ice floats. Therefore, the animal avoids places where they are not present. This behavior is explained by the fact that for reproduction and raising offspring, strong ice floes are needed with holes (holes) in them and vents through which an animal in the water can breathe.

The ringed seal is a predator.

Seals feed on two groups of animals – fish and crustaceans. In Karskoye and Barents Seas The seal hunts for capelin and herring. Among the crustaceans, the seal loves black-eyes and amphipods. In the warmer Baltic Sea, the ringed seal's diet consists of sprat, herring, gobies and cod.

Reproduction and lifespan

Female ringed seals give birth to their first offspring at the age of 6-7 years, and reach sexual maturity at 5-6 years. Seal calves are born from mid-March to mid-April.

The duration of pregnancy is approximately 11 months, including the latent period (2-3 months). A female ringed seal has one calf in her litter, weighing up to 4 kg and a little more than half a meter long. The baby is born in a thick snow-white coat, which remains on it for 2 weeks. Then the color of the fur changes to darker and after about 1.5 months the baby seal looks the same as adults.