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The bearded seal, aka square flipper seal, gets its name from 2 Greek words (eri & gnathos) that refer to its heavy jaw. These seals are widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere in the Arctic Ocean. They can be found off the coasts of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, northern Europe, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Caspian seal, 1 of the smallest members of the earless seal family, is rare in that it is found among the brackish (partially salty) Caspian Sea. These seals prefer to dwell along the shorelines, however, they also can be found on the numerous rocky islands and floating blocks of […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The ringed seal is a small earless seal species found throughout the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions on every continent in the northern hemisphere. In fact, they are the most abundantly found seal in the northern hemisphere. Due to their large population of an estimated 1,500,000 individuals, these seals face many […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The New Zealand fur seal, aka Australasian fur seal, South Australian fur seal, Antipodean fur seal, long-nosed fur seal, or kekeno, can be found throughout western, southern, and eastern Australia, as well as surrounding New Zealand. These fur seals dwell in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. New Zealand fur seals […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Stellar sea lion, aka Stellar’s sea lion or northern sea lion, is a large sea lion species that can be found from northwestern U.S., western Canada, on over to east Asia and Japan. As pinnipeds go, only the walrus and the 2 elephant seal species outsize them. These sea […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The spotted seal, aka the larga seal or largha seal, is considered a “true seal” (lacking external ear flaps and has a stiff, hair-like coat). They can be found among the chilly waters of the north Pacific Ocean and accompanying seas. They face the threats of habitat loss at the […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The ribbon seal is a member of the true seal family. This means they lack ear flaps, but they have ear holes instead. They are located in the Arctic and Subarctic regions of the North Pacific Ocean, notably in the Bering Sea as well as the Sea of Okhotsk. They […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The subantarctic fur seal can be found on land and out at sea near numerous countries. They number an estimated 300,000 wild individuals as of 2023, and have a stable population. These fur seals are seen on the shore lines of these countries: Australia, South Africa, Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Hawaiian monk seal is the only native Hawaiian seal and 1 of only 2 monk seal species. The other is the Mediterranean monk seal. The majority of these critters can be found among the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. But a smaller, yet growing population can be found along the primary […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Baikal seal, aka nerpa or Lake Baikal seal, hails only from Lake Baikal in Russia (the world’s deepest lake) and some nearby rivers that flow into and out of said lake. These seals are only found in freshwater and are the only known solely freshwater seal alive today. Even […]

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