Hooded seal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hooded seal |
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Cystophora
Nilsson, 1820
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C. cristata
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| Cystophora cristata (Erxleben, 1777)
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| Distribution of the hooded seal. Breeding grounds indicated in blue. | |
The hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) is a special type of seal that lives in the Arctic. It's known as a pinniped, which means it has flippers. You can find these seals only in the central and western parts of the North Atlantic. They live all the way from Svalbard in the east to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the west.
Male hooded seals have a very unique feature: a strange, inflatable bladder on their head. This bladder usually hangs between their eyes and over their upper lip. They can also blow up a big, balloon-like sac from one of their nostrils! This special bulge starts to grow when the male seal is about four years old. When he inflates it, it can become as big as his whole head!
Hooded seals can live for a long time, usually around 30 to 35 years.
How Big Are Hooded Seals?
Adult male hooded seals are quite large. They are about 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in) (around 8.5 feet) long. They can weigh between 300–410 kg (660–900 lb) (660 to 900 pounds). Female seals are smaller than males. They are about 2.03 metres (6 ft 8 in) (6.6 feet) long. Females weigh between 145–300 kg (320–661 lb) (320 to 660 pounds).
Hooded seals have a silvery color. Their bodies are covered with dark, uneven marks. Their head is usually darker than the rest of their body and does not have these marks.
Life Cycle and Pups
Hooded seal pups are born on the ice. This usually happens from mid-March to early April. When they are born, pups are about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) (3 feet) long. They weigh around 24 kilograms (53 lb) (53 pounds).
Newborn pups have a slate blue-grey coat. Their belly is a pale cream color. They will shed this first coat after about 14 months.
Nursing for hooded seal pups is very short. It lasts for only about 4 days. This is the shortest time any mammal nurses its young! During these four days, the pup grows very quickly. It can double its size, gaining about 7 kg (15 pounds) each day. This amazing growth is possible because the mother's milk is super rich. It has a fat content of 60%!
Female pups become mature and can have their own pups when they are between 3 and 6 years old. Male pups mature a bit later, between 5 and 7 years old.
Images for kids
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Skull of a hooded seal
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Mother with pup.
See also
In Spanish: Foca de casco para niños
