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Cystophora cristata (Erxleben, 1777) Hooded Seal; Phoca

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Higher taxa:  Life   Vertebrata   Mammalia   Phocidae   Cystophora   IDnature guides: Mammalia, Mammalia_species, Marine_Mammals We parsed the following live from the Web into this page. Such content is managed by its original site and not cached on Discover Life. Please send feedback and corrections directly to the source. See original regarding copyrights and terms of use. North American Mammals, Smithsonian Institution Animal Diversity

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Carnivora · Phocidae · Cystophora cristata    Smithsonian Institution    Copyright Notice    Privacy Notice   Cystophora cristata Hooded Seal Order: Carnivora Family: Phocidae Cystophora cristata - female and pup on ice floe; males in water, from left to right: normal, extruded nasal septum, and inflated hood Click to enlarge. (92 kb) Male hooded seals have a fleshy sac above the nostrils that they can inflate. It grows as the animal gets older, and looks a lot like a hood over the nose—thus the name "hooded seal." The seals can also inflate the strip of flesh that separates the nostrils. Blown up, it looks like a red balloon. Males use these structures to attract females, or perhaps to threaten other males, or both. They mate with several females, and protect each female and her offspring from other males while the pups are nursing. Nursing lasts only four days, and in that time, the pup doubles its birth weight, gaining 7 kg per day, mostly in blubber, by feeding on milk that is twice as rich in fat as whipping cream. After four days, the mother leaves her pup, who lives on the stored fat for several weeks, until it is old enough to swim and catch fish to eat. Also known as: Crested Seal, Bladder Seal Sexual Dimorphism: Males are almost twice as heavy as females. Length: Range: 2.3-2.9 m males; 2-2.3 m females Weight: Average: 250 kg males; 180 kg females Range: up to 435 kg males; up to 350 kg females References: Erxleben, J.C.P., 1777.  Systema regni animalis per classes, ordines, genera, species, varietas, cum synonymia et historia animalium.  Classis I, Mammalia ,  1:590.  Wegand, Leipzig, 636 pp. Links: Mammal Species of the World Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account Click to enlarge. (65kb)   English · Español

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Overview  News  Technology  Conditions of Use  Privacy Policy  Partners & Contributors  Awards & Recognition  ADW Staff  Contact Us  Spinning Skulls  About Mammals  Frog Calls  Resources for College Instructors  Resources for K-12 Instructors  Contribute to ADW  What's in a Scientific Name?  Authority Lists: Where We Get Our Names  Name, Rank, and Serial Number  Organismal classification: evolutionary relationships & ranks  Glossary  Search Guide  Related Links  Contact Us  Report an Error Structured Inquiry Search — preview Home Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Class Mammalia Order Carnivora Suborder Caniformia Family Phocidae Species Cystophora cristata Cystophora cristata hooded seal Information Pictures Classification 2010/02/07 02:31:04.082 US/Eastern By Rebecca Yoo Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Caniformia Family: Phocidae Genus: Cystophora Species: Cystophora cristata Geographic Range Hooded seals are found throughout the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean near Labrador and northeastern Newfoundland, south to New England. Wandering individuals have been recorded from as far south as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. ( IUCN, 2008 ) Biogeographic Regions: nearctic ( native ); atlantic ocean ( native ). Habitat The hooded seal lives mainly on large ice packs and in the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean (Parker 1990). These animals are found in the following types of habitat: temperate ; saltwater or marine . Aquatic Biomes: coastal . Physical Description Mass 300 to 400 kg (660 to 880 lbs) Length 2.50 m (high) (8.2 ft) The hooded seal has a black head and a dark clouded spotted pattern on grayish colored fur. Males are approximately 2.5 m and weigh around 400 kg, while females are slightly smaller. The most unusual physical characteristic if the hooded seal is the inflatable trunks of males. The trunk is a large flap that hangs in front of the head in front of the mouth. It can be inflated when the male is mating, excited, or threatened. The hooded seal also has large claws on its front flippers (Parker 1990). Some key physical features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry . Sexual dimorphism: male larger, ornamentation . Reproduction Number of offspring 1 (average) Gestation period 11.70 months (average) Birth Mass 18000 g (average) (633.6 oz) [ External Source: AnAge ] Time to weaning 4 days (average) Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 1826 days (average) [ External Source: AnAge ] Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) 1826 days (average) [ External Source: AnAge ] The mating system of hooded seals is not well understood, but indications are that males practice sequential female-defense polygyny. Mating systems: polygynous . Hooded seal pups are born during March and April after a gestation period of 11.7 months, which may also include a period of four months when the fertilized egg is dormant and does not develop. Hooded seals usually give birth to one pup at a time. The pup weighs 15kg at birth and is weaned after only four days of nursing due to the high fat content of the milk. The pups lack an embryonic coat at birth and are blue in color with light gray bellies and black faces. After a year, the pups become spotted like the adults. Key reproductive features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous . Behavior The most unusual behavior of the hooded seal is related to the males' trunks. When a male is mating, excited, or threated, the trunk is inflated. To accomplish this, the male closes one of his nostrils, resulting in the trunk blowing up to as large as twice the size of a football. The inflated trunk forms a crest or a hood on top of the head (Parker 1990). This trunk begins to form in young males around 4 years of age and is finished developing at around 12 years. The size of the trunk depends on the body size of the individual, but the average is 6.3 liters. The hooded seal is mainly a solitary animal, but families are encountered during the reproductive season (Nowak 1991). Key behaviors: natatorial ; motile ; nomadic ; solitary ; social . Food Habits The hooded seal eats mainly deep water fish including redfish, Greenland turbot, herring, capelin, cod, halibut, and flounder. Its diet also includes shrimp, octopus, and mussels. Primary Diet: carnivore ( piscivore , molluscivore ). Animal Foods: fish; mollusks; aquatic crustaceans. Economic Importance for Humans: Positive Hooded seals are mainly hunted for their spotted coats as well as the blue coats of the pups. Also, in some areas of the world the hooded seal is hunted for its meat and oil (Nowak 1991). Conservation Status IUCN Red List: [link] : Lower Risk - Least Concern. US Federal List: [link] : No special status. CITES: [link] : No special status. The total population of hooded seals is not at risk even though it is subject to hunting. Other Comments The enemies of the hooded seal are humans, polar bears and sharks (Nowak 1991). For More Information Find Cystophora cristata information at Encyclopedia of Life Contributors Rebecca Yoo (author), University of Michigan. References http://www.mmsc.org/info/seal-hooded.html Nowak, Ronald M. Walker's Mammals of the World. 1991 ed. Vol. 2 London: John Hopkins University Press, 1991. Parker, Sybil P. "Hooded Seal." Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. 1990 ed. IUCN, 2008. "Monachus tropicalis" (On-line). 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed October 07, 2008 at http://redlist.org/details/13655 . 2010/02/07 02:31:04.966 US/Eastern To cite this page: Yoo, R. 1999. "Cystophora cristata" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 09, 2010 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cystophora_cristata.html. Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students . ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control. Other formats: OWL Home   ¦   About Us   ¦   Special Topics   ¦   Teaching   ¦   About Animal Names   ¦   Help Structured Inquiry Search — preview Sponsored in part by the Interagency Education Research Initiative, the Homeland Foundation and the University of Michigan   Museum of Zoology . This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants DUE-0633095 and DRL-0628151. The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support. Report Error — Comment ©1995-2008, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors. All rights reserved.