Saturday 1 November 2008

Spotted Seal (Phoca largha)

OTHER NAMES: Larga Seal
Latin Etymology: Phoca ("seal") largha (name of species in Siberian Tungusk language)

Adult Spotted Seal (subspecies P. l. largha) at Akkeshi, Hokkaido, Japan - December 2014

Featured Subspecies: Phoca largha largha
Weight: 70-130g  /  Length: 170cm
NO UK STATUS IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A seal of the North Pacific, it was until recently considered a subspecies of the more ubiquitous Harbour Seal but has now been split off.  They are found from Alaska to China, but share their range with other seal species.  Their diet consists of krill, crustacians and fish like herring and cod.  This individual was sitting in the water in the bay out infront of Akkeshi, sitting in the water.

Related Species:
Order: Carnivora 
Family: Phocidae 
Genus: Phoca
SUBSPECIES: P. l. largha, P. l. ochotensis 

 - Sighting Locations -
JAPAN - Japanese ゴマフアザラシ  /  Gamafuazarashi  ("Sesame Seed Seal")
A sidespread coastal resident
 - TRIP: Single individual seen at Akkeshi

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red ListRSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

No comments:

Post a Comment