The Spotted Seal breeds on pack ice in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, where pups are born with a white lanugo coat that molts to reveal the spotted adult pattern. It is one of the few ice-breeding seals not to form large aggregations, remaining in small family groups on sea ice. Climate-driven sea ice loss threatens this species' breeding habitat in Alaska.
Habitat
Arctic and subarctic sea ice, coastal waters
Diet
Fish, squid, crabs, and shrimp
How common
Uncommon
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