Alaska Sea Lions and Seals

Alaska Sea Lions and Seals Blaire, Kate, Donovan, & Alex Biodiversity of Alaska 18 June 2017 <a href="/goto?url=https://www.stlzoo.org/files/3913/6260/5731/Sea-lion_RogerBrandt.jpg" target="_blank">https://www.stlzoo.org/files/3913/6260/5731/Sea-lion_RogerBrandt.jpg </a>Similarities & Differences of Sea Lions and Seals Phocidae Family Otariidae Family cannot rotate back flippers; move like a caterpillar on land can rotate back flippers under themselves to walk and run on land marine mammals pinniped, “fin footed” in Latin external earflaps no external earflaps use front flippers for power when swimming use back flippers for power when swimming preyed upon by polar bears, orcas, and sharks use back flippers for steering when swimming use front flippers for steering when swimming food: krill, fish, lobster, birds food: squid, octopus, birds, and fish claws and fur on front flippers no claws or hair on front flippers Seals Sea Lions ("What’s the Difference “ 2017) Evolution • Both seals and sea lions are Pinnipeds • Descended from one ancestral line • Belong to order carnivora • Closest living relatives are bears and musteloids (diverged 50 million years ago) <a href="/goto?url=http://what-when-how.com/marine-mammals/pinniped-evolution-" target="_blank">http://what-when-how.com/marine-mammals/pinniped-evolution- </a>marine-mammals/ (Churchill 2015) <a href="/goto?url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2009-04/24/content_7710231.htm" target="_blank">http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2009-04/24/content_7710231.htm </a>Phylogenetics <a href="/goto?url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinniped" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinniped </a>Steller: Eumetopias jubatus <a href="/goto?url=http://www.arkive.org/stellers-sea-lion/eumetopias-jubatus/image-G62602.html" target="_blank">http://www.arkive.org/stellers-sea-lion/eumetopias-jubatus/image-G62602.html </a>Steller: Eumetopias jubatus • Classification (”Steller Sea Lion” 2017) Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mamalia Order: Carnivora Family: Otarridae Genus: Eumetopias Species: Jubatus Steller: Eumetopias jubatus General Description • Size: • males: 2,500 lbs , 10-11 ft • females: 770 lbs , 7.5-9.5 ft • pups: 35-50 lbs , 3.3 ft • Coloring: • adults: light blonde to reddish brown • pups: dark brown/black • Lifespan: • 20-30 years old (“Steller Sea Lion” 2017) Steller: Eumetopias jubatus Life History • Growth & Reproduction: • use rookeries • males establish territory, multiple females (“Steller Sea Lions” 2017) • Feeding: • opportunistic (capellin, cod, herring, mackeral, pollock, rockfish, salmon, squid, octopus, gastropods) (Fiscus 2017) • Behavior: • use haul-outs for rest • can dive up to 1300 ft, no migration • can walk on land (“Mammals” 2017) Steller: Eumetopias jubatus • Distributed throughout the coast to continental shelf (Womble 2017) <a href="/goto?url=http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/sealions/steller-sea-lion.html" target="_blank">http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/sealions/steller-sea-lion.html </a>• Aleutian islands, central Bering sea, Southern coast • Western Distinct Population Segment (DPS) = central and western Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian islands, coastal waters Geographic Distribution • Eastern DPS = southeast Alaska, California, British Columbia, and Oregon (“Mammals” 2017) Steller: Eumetopias jubatus • Status: Endangered (Western DPS), Delisted (Eastern DPS) • Predators: orcas, sharks, humans • Efforts: protective zones, catch/hunting limits (“Mammals” 2017) Bearded: Erignathus barbatus <a href="/goto?url=http://sewardcitynews.com/2014/12/rare-opportunity-to-view-bearded-seal-at-the-alaska-sealife-center/" target="_blank">http://sewardcitynews.com/2014/12/rare-opportunity-to-view-bearded-seal-at-the-alaska-sealife-center/ </a>Bearded: Erignathus barbatus Life History • Growth & Reproduction: • one pup per year • late April or early May • Feeding: • feed benthically • invertebrates • bottom fish <a href="/goto?url=http://www.alaska.org/assets/content/cache/made/assets/content/advice/Alaska_Species_Gui" target="_blank">http://www.alaska.org/assets/content/cache/made/assets/content/advice/Alaska_Species_Gui </a>de/Marine%20Mammals/580_438_c1/Bearded_SealHarbor_Seals_AB.jpg • Behavior: • males vocalize during the breeding season • predators (“Mammals” 2017) Bearded: Erignathus barbatus • Status: very common and low risk (least concern of extinction) • Life Span: 25 years old • Predators: polar bears, killer whales, walruses, and Alaska Native hunters (“Bearded Seal” 2015) <a href="/goto?url=http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=beardedseal.main" target="_blank">http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=beardedseal.main </a>Bearded: Erignathus barbatus Range and Habitat • follow the sea ice • south into Bering Sea and north into Chukchi and Beaufort Sea • juveniles found more in ice free zones than adults • shallow water <a href="/goto?url=http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=beardedseal.rangemap" target="_blank">http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=beardedseal.rangemap </a>• high biomass areas of Geographic Distribution benthic prey • 150-200 m (“Mammals” 2017) <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Harbor: Phoca vitulina </li><li style="flex:1">Harbor: Phoca vitulina </li></ul>Life History • Diving: • adaptations • Reproduction & Development: • single pups <a href="/goto?url=http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=harborseal.main" target="_blank">http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=harborseal.main </a>• May and mid-July • swim almost immediately after birth • sexual maturity between 3 and 7 years • Food: • opportunistic feeders • seasonally available resources (“Harbor Seal” 2015) Harbor: Phoca vitulina Life History • Movement: • no seasonal patterns • Behavior: • solitary in water <a href="/goto?url=https://seagrant.uaf.edu/marine-ed/mm/images/harbor-seal-rev.jpg" target="_blank">https://seagrant.uaf.edu/marine-ed/mm/images/harbor-seal-rev.jpg </a>• haul out in groups • enter water if threatened • Species of Special Concern: • vulnerable to significant decline • causes are unknown • most common predator is the killer whale (“Harbor Seal” 2015) Harbor: Phoca vitulina Range and Habitat • Dixon Entrance to Kuskokwim Bay and west throughout the Aleutian Islands • reefs, sand, and gravel beaches • glacial and sea ice <a href="/goto?url=http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=harborseal.rangemap" target="_blank">http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=harborseal.rangemap </a>• seasonal movement to Geographic Distribution glacial fjords (“Mammal” 2017) Northern Fur: Callorhinus ursinus <a href="/goto?url=http://www.ejphoto.com/northern_fur_seal_page.htm" target="_blank">http://www.ejphoto.com/northern_fur_seal_page.htm </a>Northern Fur: Callorhinus ursinus (“Mammals” 2017) Life History • Growth & Reproduction: • Pribilof Islands • Males emit growling noises • Young mature around 5 years of age • Life span is about 25 years • Feeding: • vast mixtures of food • Migration: • males and females have different migration habits <a href="/goto?url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska" target="_blank">https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska </a>Northern Fur: Callorhinus ursinus Range and Habitat • Pribilof Islands <a href="/goto?url=http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=northernfurseal.rangemap" target="_blank">http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=northernfurseal.rangemap </a>Geographic Distribution (“Mammals” 2017) Northern Fur: Callorhinus ursinus Life History • Range and Habitat: • found normally between 10 and 100 miles offshore • Appearance: • mature seals have brownblack, dense pelts • males much larger than females • History and Population: <a href="/goto?url=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/2680894468_86e7612c40.jpg" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/2680894468_86e7612c40.jpg </a>• discovered by Georg Wilhelm Steller • hunting became illegal in 1985 • Predators and Threats: killer whales, sharks, Steller Sea Lions (“Mammals” 2017) Ribbon: Phoca fasciata <a href="/goto?url=http://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2014/07/14/rare-ribbon-seal-sighting-in-prince-william-sound-alaska/" target="_blank">http://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2014/07/14/rare-ribbon-seal-sighting-in-prince-william-sound-alaska/ </a>Ribbon: Phoca fasciata Life History • Geography: • mostly located in the Bering Sea by Alaska • Feeding: • large variety of marine food • primary food choice is fish • Predators and Threats: <a href="/goto?url=https://seagrant.uaf.edu/marine-ed/mm/fieldguide/ribbon-seal.html" target="_blank">https://seagrant.uaf.edu/marine-ed/mm/fieldguide/ribbon-seal.html </a>• difficult to tell predators • live far from civilization • population is strong, in no way endangered (“Mammals” 2017) Ribbon: Phoca fasciata Life History • Appearance: • four rings on their bodies • 5.5 feet and 175 pounds <a href="/goto?url=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histriophoca_fasciata" target="_blank">https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histriophoca_fasciata </a>• Migration: • little information due to their remote environment • Range and Habitat: • young born on ice in April and May • snow drifts are the main defenses against snow along with their mothers (“Mammals” 2017) Ringed: Phoca hispida <a href="/goto?url=http://www.earthweek.com/2011/ew111216/ew111216g.html" target="_blank">http://www.earthweek.com/2011/ew111216/ew111216g.html </a>Ringed: Phoca hispida Life History • Growth and Reproduction: • birth single pup • females breed month after giving birth • males omit odor • Feeding <a href="/goto?url=http://www.npolar.no/npcms/export/sites/np/images/dyreliv/Ringsel_Kovacs.jpg_787994278.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.npolar.no/npcms/export/sites/np/images/dyreliv/Ringsel_Kovacs.jpg_787994278.jpg </a>• Artic cod, Saffron cod, Shrimps, and other crustaceans • Behavior: • live under sea ice • claws create breathing holes • Predators and Threats: killer whales, polar bears, walruses (“Mammals” 2017) Ringed: Phoca hispida • Range and Habitat: • breeding seals à breeding territories • juvenile seals à migrate south • Geographic Distribution • Bering • Chukchi • Beaufort • Conservation Status: • least concern • Size • 4 ft, 120 lbs (“Mammals” 2017) Spotted: Phoca largha <a href="/goto?url=https://alaskafurid.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/seal-spotted/" target="_blank">https://alaskafurid.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/seal-spotted/ </a>

Alaska Sea Lions and Seals

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