Erignathus barbatus
bearded seal

Bearded seals, Erignathus barbatus, are found in the Arctic Ocean, where populations are geographically divided into two subspecies, E. barbatus barbatus and E. barbatus nauticus. Erignathus barbatus barbatus occupies portions the Arctic near the Atlantic Ocean, from the eastern seaboard of Canada at the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the waters around Norway in the western Laptev Sea. Erignathus barbatus nauticus is found in the the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea, and in areas of the Arctic Ocean not occupied by E. barbatus barbatus. Bearded seals have been regularly sighted as far south as the Japanese island of Hokkaido, and there have been sightings in China of E. barbatus nauticus and of E. barbatus barbatus in Portugal. It currently unknown why some animals travel so far south outside their normal range. (Reeves, et al., 1992)

Bearded seals prefer shallow, arctic waters less than 200 meters in depth. They also prefer areas heavy with ice floes or pack ice, as these are areas where adults "haul out." They generally segregate, with one adult per ice floe. Bearded seals ride drifting ice floes for great distances, and their "migration" is thus dependent on the season and distribution of ice floes. Bearded seals follow ice further south during the winter and further north during the summer. Riding drifting ice floes provides access to shallow water, in which they feed. However, they avoid ice floes on which walruses are abundant. Bearded seals rarely choose land over ice floes for hauling out. However, in summertime when ice floes are sparse, they have been known to haul out on land and gravel beaches. (Cameron and Boveng, 2009; Reeves, et al., 1992)

Bearded seals on average measure 2.3 m in length and 200 to 250 kg in weight, with females larger than males. Between late fall and early spring, however, they can weigh up to 430 kg. At birth, pups average about 130 cm in length and 34 kg in weight. Adult bearded seals possess straight, evenly-colored light gray to dark brown hair, and their back is darker then the rest of their body. Their flippers and face are generally brick to deep rust in color. In contrast, bearded seal pups are born with lighter colored faces with assorted ribbon-like bands across their back and crown. Pups have soft, fluffy fur that tends to be a silvery blue, light brown or gray.

Bearded seals can be distinguished from other northern seals by their distinctive mustaches as well as their squared flippers. Their front and hind flippers have pronounced, pointed claws. Their head appears proportionally small compared to their long body. (Reeves, et al., 1992)

Bearded seals are promiscuous, having more than one mate during the breeding season. Males leave after mating, providing no care to pups. Due to their solitary nature, bearded seals do not establish long-term bonds with mating partners. Occasionally, males fight over a female mate. Male bearded seals also sing, which may be a courtship routine and/or a territorial warning during the breading season. (Kirlin, 2005; Kovacs and Lavigne, 1986; Nelson, 2008)

Bearded seals breed once a year, though this varies with seasonal ocean productivity. They mate between March and June, and males are at peak potency during May. Due to delayed implantation and a long gestation period (11 months), female bearded seals do not give birth until the following summer. During gestation, females gain weight to build up a supply of milk. Females give birth on pack ice between mid-March and May. Unlike their close relative, ringed seals, bearded seals do not use or assemble subnivean birth lairs. Bearded seals give birth to 1 pup, which weighs approximately 34 kg at birth. Within several days, pups enter the water. Weaning occurs in 18 to 24 days, and pups weaned by late summer have ample time to create blubber before the winter. Females reach sexual maturity at 3 to 8 years of age and males at 6 to 7 years. (Gjertz, et al., 2000; Kovacs and Lavigne, 1986; Kovacs, et al., 1996; Reeves, et al., 1992)

Male bearded seals leave females after mating and provide no parental care to pups. Like many arctic seals, female bearded seals give birth to their pups on ice floes. Unlike their close relative ringed seals, however, they do not use or assemble subnivean birth lairs. While weaning her pup, a mother does not leave the ice flow. She does not eat until her pup is weaned and can be left alone. (Gjertz, et al., 2000; Kovacs and Lavigne, 1986; Reeves, et al., 1992)

Although most bearded seals do not live over 25 years in the wild, some have been recorded to live as long as 31 years. (Reeves, et al., 1992)

Bearded seals are solitary animals; even in high densities, they keep separate from each other except during the breeding season. Generally, they maintain a density of one individual per ice floe or less. Bearded seals are territorial during the breeding season and fast-ice season when they haul out on separate ice floes. While hauling out, bearded seals face the water in order to spot predators. Bearded seals are diurnal and spend most of the year foraging in the coastal and shallow seas of the north Atlantic. During breeding season, they are more localized and spend more time on pack ice. Male bearded seals sing in what is believed to be either a courtship routine and/or a territorial warning during the breeding season. Occasionally, males fight over a female mate. (Kirlin, 2005; Kovacs and Lavigne, 1986; Nelson, 2008)

Bearded seals have a territory of 0.27 to 12.5 sq km. They become territorial during fast-ice season and during breeding season.

Of all the marine animals, male bearded seals are among the most vocally expressive, especially during spring breeding season. Their minute-long songs can be described as sinister and monotone but also harmonious. They are generally characterized as chirps, ascents, sweeps, or grumbles. During their song, bearded seals begin a slow, circular dive while emitting bubbles until resurfacing. It is believed that these songs are typical of courtship routines and or distinguishing breeding territory. Many underwater recordings of marine mammal communication in the Alaskan/Bering Strait region are predominately composed of songs of bearded seals. (Cleator, et al., 1989; Nelson, 2008; Reeves, et al., 1992; Terhune, 1999)

Bearded seals are primarily benthic feeders and dive to a maximum of 200 m to obtain food. They primarily eat local mollusks and crustaceans, and also commonly eat Arctic cod. They have also been known to eat benthic fishes such as sculpins and flatfishes, and also American Plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides). (Cameron and Boveng, 2009; Finley, 1983; Lowry, et al., 1980; Reeves, et al., 1992)

Bearded seals have two main predators, polar bears and killer whales. Polar bears hunt seals by waiting near a breathing hole for their prey to surface. However, breathing holes of bearded seals usually form domes or caps of ice that they must dig through to reach the surface. This may serve as a defensive strategy, obscuring breathing hole positions and making them more difficult for polar bears to locate. Killer whales do not actively hunt bearded seals, but eat them opportunistically. Although rarely observed, pups of bearded seals are occasionally eaten by walruses. Bearded seals are also taken by humans through subsistence fishing by Native Americans in Canada and Alaska. (Reeves, et al., 1992; Smith, 1980)

Bearded seals are important predators of benthic mollusks, crustaceans, fish, and octopi. They compete with other seal species for food; however walruses tend to be their main food competitor. Bearded seals are also a secondary prey to polar bears (ringed seals are primary prey). Bearded seals also serve as prey to killer whales and walruses. (Bishop, 1979; Brattey and Stenson, 1993; Bristow and Berland, 1992; Nelson, 2008; Reeves, et al., 1992)

Bearded seals are the only know definitive host of the nematode Pseudoterranova decipiens, which resides in the animal's stomach and intestinal lumen. The parasitic nematode is transmitted when the seal eats the' intermediate host of the parasite, American Plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides). The bearded seal also hosts the nematode Contracaecum osculatum, which also resides in the stomach.

Numerous trematode species reside in the pancreas and bile duct of the bearded seal, and other parasitic worms reside in the intestine. Abundance of these parasites varies among individual seals.

Protozoan parasites like Sarcocystis species (residing in the tongue) and Giardia species, such as Giardia duodenalis, are often found in the gut of the bearded seal. The protozoan species of Giardia found in bearded seals are not the same species of Giardia that can be transmitted to humans. (Bishop, 1979; Brattey and Stenson, 1993; Bristow and Berland, 1992; Nelson, 2008; Reeves, et al., 1992)

Bearded seals have been traditionally hunted by the Eskimo people for meat, blubber, and leather. Although Eskimos do not rely exclusively on bearded seals for subsistence, hunting pressure on bearded seals is increasing. Bearded seals are important seal species for many Alaskan villages, as native peoples utilize them for their oil, meat, and skin, which is used to make umiaks (boats) and maklak (boots). (Nelson, 2008; Reeves, et al., 1992)

There are no known adverse effects of bearded seals on humans. (Reeves, et al., 1992)

Although bearded seals are not considered threatened, habitat destruction and overfishing of their prey species are their biggest threats. Additionally, global climate change may result in decreased ice floes, which would negatively impact habitat availability for bearded seals.