Bearded seals are circumpolar in their distribution, extending from the Arctic Ocean (85*N) south to Hokkaido (45*N) in the western Pacific. They generally inhabit areas of shallow water (less than 200 m) that are at least seasonally ice covered. During winter they are most common in broken pack ice and in some areas also inhabit shorefast ice. In the spring, bearded seals tend to prefer areas of between 70% and 90% sea ice coverage, and are typically more abundant 20-100 nmi from shore than within 20 nmi of shore. The overall summer distribution is quite broad, with seals rarely hauled out on land. The are generally solitary except during the breeding season. Adults are 2.1 to 2.4 m in length; the females are slightly longer than the males. Pups are born between mid March and early May; they have a short nursing period and are weaned at 12 to 19 days.
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- Publications: search AFSC database for Bearded Seals
- Posters: search AFSC database for Bearded Seals
- Quarterly Reports
- Habitat use and seasonal movements of adult and sub-adult bearded seals in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska
- Seattle Times - Bering Sea ice seal research article (Oct 2006)
- BENGTSON, J. L., L. M. HIRUKI-RARING, M. A. SIMPKINS, and P. L. BOVENG.
2005. Ringed and bearded seals densities in the eastern Chukchi Sea, 1999-2000. Polar Biol. 28:833-845.
- ANTONELIS, G. A., S. R. MELIN, and Y. A. BUKHTIYAROV.
1994. Early spring feeding habits of bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) in the central Bering Sea, 1981. Arctic 47:74-79.
- Search the AFSC database for additional Bearded Seal publications
- Seasonal Movements, Habitat Selection, Foraging and Haul-out Behavior of Adult Bearded Seals in the Chukchi Sea
4.26MB Online.
- Diving Behavior, Habitat Use, and Movements of Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) Pups in Kotzebue Sound, the Bering and Chukchi Seas
634kb Online.
- Diving Behavior, Habitat Use, and Movements of Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) Pups in Kotzebue Sound, the Bering and Chukchi Seas
1.1MB Online.
- Search the AFSC database for additional Bearded Seal posters