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Spotted Seal | Ocean Park Hong Kong

Mammals

Spotted Seal

Scientific Name

Phoca largha

Body Weight

65-115 kg

Body Length

1.5-1.7 m

Habitat

Sea ice, ocean and coasts

Diet

Fish, crustaceans and cephalopods such as squid

Fun Facts

Spotted seals are born with a white, fluffy coat of fur. This is shed after 2 to 4 weeks for a silvery-grey coat with dark spots.

They congregate on the shore or on the ice, which makes smell an important sense for spotted seals to maintain relationships among individuals, especially between mating pairs and between mothers and their offspring.

Distribution

Northern Pacific Ocean and Arctic Ocean, including the waters of countries such as China, Japan, Russia and the United States

Threats & Conservation

Threats

Urbanisation & Infrastructure
Overexploitation of Biological Resources
Pollution
Climate Change

Commercial fisheries threaten spotted seals by reducing the availability of their food and entangling them in fishing gear. The hunt for fossil fuels under the ocean has also disturbed and destroyed their habitats. Finally, climate change continues to alter the spread of sea ice, reducing its coverage, space and stability. This further disrupts the marine food web, and thus, the abundance of prey for spotted seals.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

Least Concern

Red List of China's Biodiversity

Vulnerable

Conservation

Chinese Wildlife Conservation Law: Category 1

Ocean Park's Conservation Efforts

Ocean Park has conducted research on spotted seals to study the importance of sea ice to their survival, deepening our understanding of how climate change impacts this species.

Research of Ocean Park

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