he smallest species among the Far Eastern seals.

Description. Ringed seals grow 110 to 140 cm long and weigh 40 to 80 kg. They have short plump bodies and small rounded heads with short snouts. Well-developed claws can be seen at the front flippers. Ringed seals are grey and covered in numerous small blurred light rings located in groups along the sides and the back. The background color and the intensity of the ring pattern vary. Individual animals may be single-colored with spots instead of rings.

Pups are born 60 cm long and weigh 4 kg. They have white fur, which turns grey with distinct rings on it about a month after their birth.

Status. Abundant species, object of hunting.

Habitat and Behavior. Ringed seals are common for all northern and Far East seas, except for the Sea of Japan; also in the Baltic Sea and Lake Ladoga. In the Arctic region they can be found everywhere up to the pole. They live in areas that freeze in winter. During the entire winter period they maintain holes in ice digging them with their front claws. Ringed seals do not form large groups. Pups are born is March and April, on fast ice or ice floes. In bays that are completely covered in fast ice, ringed seals give birth in snow lairs. In summer, some ringed seals come out to the shore rookeries with spotted seals. When swimming, they raise their heads above water showing their distinct short snouts. Ringed seals are curious and more careless than spotted seals. When sensing danger, they tend to dive through the ice holes, even when being near the edge of the ice. Ringed seals feed on fish and crustaceans.

Similar Species. Spotted seals can be identified from a distance by their spotted fur, bigger size, elongated bodies and relatively big heads with long snouts; they also prefer broken ice staying on it in tight packs. When diving, they often show their backs. Young ribbon seals are uniformly grey and have relatively big heads and distinct necks; their front flippers have poorly developed claws. Bearded seals can be identified from a distance by their big size, massive bodies and uniform color without any rings or spots.

True seals (lat. Phocidae) can be of various sizes, from really small to rather big. They have streamlined spindle-shaped bodied and rounded heads with no ear flaps. They have short but distinct tails. Their flippers are short and fully covered with fur; they also have well-developed claws. The front flippers are positioned closer to the front end of the body; the back ones are extended backwards and cannot be bent under the body. They have short rough overhair with no distinct fluff. Ringed seals show little to no sexual dimorphism as to their sizes. Most of the Far Eastern subspecies breed on ice; their pups are born in embryotic cover of long soft thick white fur. There are 18 species of true seals in the world; 10 of them can be found in Russia, 5 – in the Far East. s