ringed seal

mammal

Also known as: Phoca hispida, Pusa hispida

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

ringed seal, (Pusa, or Phoca, hispida), nonmigratory, earless seal (family Phocidae) of North Polar seas and a few freshwater lakes in Europe and on Baffin Island. Named for the characteristic pale rings on its grayish or yellowish coat, the ringed seal grows to about 1.5 m (5 feet) in length and 90 kg (200 pounds) in weight. It lives near the pack ice and feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, and some fish. The female bears a single white-coated pup each year in a den dug into the snow. A common species, the ringed seal is important to the Inuit (Eskimos) as a source of leather, oil, and meat.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.