Family: Phocidae, Hair Seals view all from this family

Description A brown seal with whitish ribbons around their head and flippers. Male is dark brown; female is lighter. The pup’s white coat is shed at 5 weeks for a gray coat that is bluish above and silvery below. More slender than other seals, with a long neck and flippers.

Dimensions 1.5-1.6m, 70-80kg

Breeding Mates, pups, and molts on heavy pack ice in late winter and spring, and moves to the open sea in late spring and summer when the northern seas become ice-free.

Habitat Offshore waters

Range Alaska

Discussion They are almost never seen on land. Most common in the Bering Sea, but occasionally seen in Chukchi and Beaufort seas.