typhlonectes: Ribbon Seal (Histriophoca fasciata) Weight: about 175 pounds (80 kg) &

Ribbon Seal(Histriophoca fasciata)
Weight: about 175 pounds (80 kg)
Length: about 5 feet (1.5 m)
Appearance: dark body and light bands, or “ribbons,” encircling the neck, each front flipper, and hips;
pups are born with a wooly white lanugo coat
Lifespan: 20-30 years
Diet: pelagic fish and invertebrates, such as shrimp, crabs, squid, octopus, cod, sculpin, pollack, and capelin
Behavior: alternate their foreflippers and swing their hindquarters to run across ice, rather than using the caterpillar-like movement typically used by most seals
The ribbon seal is one of nine species of ice seals inhabiting the Arctic and is the only species in the genusHistriophoca. They are strongly associated with sea ice for mating, whelping pups and molting from mid-March through June…
Read more:http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/seals/ribbon-seal.html
photo credit: Michael Cameron, NOAA