The Caspian seal: description of the animal

The Caspian seal, also known as the Caspian seal, previously the pinnipeds, but today the status was changed, and he ranked among the Carnivora, the family of true seals. This animal is threatened with extinction for several reasons, but the main is considered to be the pollution of the sea.

Seal Description

Caspian seal (photo of an adult shown below) is a minor species. In adulthood, its body length is equal to the average of 1.20-1.50 m and a weight of 70-90 kg. With a small increase they are quite thick and small head. Has a mustache. Eyes large, dark in color. The neck, though short, but noticeable. Five-fingered front limbs are short, they have strong claws. The coat is very smooth and shiny.

The Colour of these seals depends on their age. But in adults the main tone - dirty straw-whitish. The back is olive-grey in color and covered with dark irregularly shaped spots, the color transition from the belly to the back smooth. Although the color may be a little of other colors. The males seem contrast than their companion. Also they are slightly larger than females and are distinguished more massive head with a long snout.

Home

These seals got their name from the habitat. They live only in the Caspian sea and settle on the coast, beginning North of the Caspian and to the Iran. Closer to the southern boundary of the sea ringed seals are less common.

Caspian seal regularly short seasonal migration. With the onset of winter all the animals are settling on the ice in the Northern Caspian. When the ice begins to melt, seals are gradually moving to the South, and by the beginning of the summer they inhabit the southern and Middle Caspian. In these places the seals are good to eat to fall to accumulate fat reserves. With the end of the summer the animals are moved again to the Northern part of the sea.

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What to eat

Caspian seal mainly feeds on different types of bulls. Also in the diet may also include sprat. Sometimes they can catch shrimp, amphipods, uterine. In certain periods, the seals in small quantities, eat the herring. But mostly the whole year seal catching bullheads, without changing your diet.

Reproduction and description of baby Caspian seal

This kind of seals differs from the others in that his representatives most a short period of puppies. It begins in late January and early February has been completed. In this short time almost all the females manage to breed. Upon completion of the pups, the seals begin to mate, so mating period is short, from mid-February to the first March days, until the animals began to leave the ice of the Northern Caspian sea.

As a rule the female seal brings a baby. The cub weighs about 3-4 kg and its length is approximately 75 cm off-white fur is silky and soft. Cub Caspian seals feed on milk during the month, this time he manages to grow up to 90 cm, and its weight increases more than four times. In the middle and at the end of February, while the baby feeds on milk, it manages to shed and relieve the child's white fur. The little shed, called holupki. After the young seals are fully acquire a new coat, they become Sivarama. Have Sivara color of the fur on the back is plain dark grey, but on the side of the abdomen light gray. Further animal sheds every year, and with the new hair color becomes more black spotting. In the year of age of the seal is painted in ashen gray, with dark back and sides are already visible black and gray specks. The young two-year seals the main tone gets a little lighter, and the number of sunspots increases.

At the age of five years, the female seal becomes sexually Mature and ready to mate. After a year, she brings her first child. Almost all adult females give offspring from year to year.

Behavior of seals

A Lot of the time they spend at sea. Unable to sleep, turned over on his back and sticking his snout out of the water. This kind of seals do not like to accumulate large crowds on the ice. The female with her baby are usually located away from neighbors. In the early formation of ice is selected the ice, which will be a puppy. While the ice is thin, the Caspian seal makes a hole through which to put to sea. With regular use, LAZ'ky do not freeze, and they can be used all winter. But sometimes these holes have to be expanded with strong claws on the front flippers.

After the pups and mating, a period of shedding. At this time the ice is reduced in size, and seals sealed. If the seal does not have time to validate before the ice melts, she has to stay in the North of the Caspian sea, where sandy island continues molting. Usually in April it is possible to notice the underlying groups of seals.

In the Summer of Caspian ringed seals are dispersed in the waters and keep away from each other. Closer to September, they gather in the North-Eastern side of the sea on salihah (sandy islets). Here dense clusters are females and malesany age.

The Number of Caspian seals

Previously, the number of seals living in the Caspian sea, more than a million individuals, but by the 1970's years their population has dramatically decreased, and there were no more than 600 000 heads. Because fur skins are of a great demand, suffers from this in the first place, the Caspian seal. The red book gave the animal a status of "threatened with extinction”. This law limits hunting and fishing and allow the slaughter of seals not more than 50 000 animals per year. But it should be noted that downsizing is associated not only with the greed of man, but of epidemics and the pollution of Caspian waters.