Bearded Seals, reside in the arctic waters and are most commonly found drifting along patches of sea ice. They live in generally shallow waters and during the summer they can be found soaking up the sun on rocky beaches.
Appearance: Bearded seals generally have a deep brown or gray coat, with dark rings and spots. They have a small head and large body, they have small square flippers. They have a short snout with thick white whiskers. the generally live around 25 years, they grow up to 7-8 ft. weighing around 750 pounds. Females are only slightly bigger.
Bearded Seal Behavior
Bearded seals are generally the most solitary species of arctic seal. Outside of breeding season the bearded seal is a primarily solitary mammal. Reaching sexual maturity at the age of six years old they communicate by the use of vocalizations or songs, which can be heard up to 12 miles. This performed during breeding season. Females give birth to single pup.
Food Source and Feeding Practices
Bearded seals feed on various types of prey found along the ocean floor. These species of prey include, clams, squid and fish. The bearded seals whiskers serve as "feelers" and help them locate food in the soft sediments of the ocean floor.
Bearded seals dive deep into the ocean to capture swimming prey and navigate along the sea floor to hunt for crustaceans, using there whiskers as a navigation technique. Adult bearded seals will div as deep as 980 ft. and small pups will dive even deeper, up to 1,480 ft.