Ladoga ringed seal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ladoga ringed seal |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Clade: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Genus: | Pusa |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
P. h. ladogensis
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| Trinomial name | |
| Pusa hispida ladogensis (Nordquist, 1899)
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The Ladoga ringed seal (Pusa hispida ladogensis) is a special type of freshwater seal. It lives only in Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. This seal is a subspecies of the ringed seal. It became separated from other ringed seals after the last Ice Age. This happened when the land rose, trapping them in freshwater lakes.
It is related to the Saimaa ringed seal. These seals live in Lake Saimaa, which flows into Lake Ladoga.
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What Does the Ladoga Ringed Seal Look Like?
Adult Ladoga seals grow to about 150 centimeters (about 5 feet) long. They usually weigh around 60–70 kilograms (130–150 pounds). Baby seals, called pups, are about 50–60 centimeters long at birth. They weigh about 4–5 kilograms (9–11 pounds).
Ladoga seals have four main types of coats. Almost half of them (47%) have dark brown fur with lighter ring shapes. About 29% have dark brown fur with lighter patterns that look like veins. Another 17% have light brown fur with a dark stripe on their back. They also have faint rings and spots. The remaining 7% have coats that are not fully described. These seals shed their old fur each year. This molting happens from April through June.
Ladoga Ringed Seal Life Cycle
Female Ladoga seals can start having babies when they are four to five years old. Males are ready to mate when they are six to seven years old. Pups are born in February or March. They stop drinking their mother's milk after six to eight weeks. A normal Ladoga ringed seal can live for about 30 to 35 years.
Protecting the Ladoga Ringed Seal
The number of Ladoga ringed seals has dropped a lot. At the start of the 1900s, there were about 20,000 seals. Now, there are only about 2,000–3,000 left. This big drop happened because too many seals were hunted. Hunting these seals was completely banned in 1980. However, some illegal hunting, called poaching, still happens.
The main dangers to these seals today include getting caught in fishing nets. Pollution from factories around Lake Ladoga is also a problem. Fuel spills from boats can harm them too. Human activities like boating can disturb their resting places. These are spots where seals like to sunbathe in warm weather.
The Ladoga seal is listed as a protected species. It is part of the Bern Convention (Appendix II). It is also included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. These lists help protect animals that are at risk.
Images for kids
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A historical photo of a seal hunter at Lake Ladoga in 1940.
