Name
- English: Baltic Ringed Seal
- Latin: Phoca hispida botnica
- Dutch: Baltische Stinkrob
Family
Baltic Ringed Seal
→ Ringed Seals
→ True Seals
| In average | Males | Females | Pups | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length in meters | 1,40 | 0,60-0,70 | ||
| Weight in kilogram | 40-90 | 4-5 | ||
| Life expectancy in years | Max. 40 | |||
| Number of animals nowadays | 6.000 | |||
| Colour(s) | ||||
| Habitat | Northern and central Baltic Sea, the Finnish Gulf, the Botnic Gulf. |
Additional information
The Baltic ringed seal is the largest species of the ringed seals family. This seal mainly eats baltic herring and crustaceans. Males are on average 5 centimeters longer than females. Baltic ringed seals use to live in those parts of the Baltic sea where during winter time thick layers of ice can be found. The female seals make holes in the ice in which the pups are born. Those holes have an underwater exit only.
In the sixties and seventies of the 20st century the Baltic ringed seals were hard hit by pollution of the Baltic Sea by DDT and PCBS. Curvature of the uterus sterilized more than half of the female seals. The population counts approximately 6.000 animals now of which 4.000 are living in the Botnic Gulf.