Ringed Seal: The northernmost mammal on the planet. They can be found even at the North Pole (9 photos)

Well, did you celebrate the New Year? Did you sit, eat, listen to Putin? Many people have started their non-working days (my condolences to the rest), the refrigeration and food supply is packed to the ceiling, and the dog-like cold reliably protects you from active entertainment. All that remains is to gorge yourself on last year's olive oil, turn on the TV and lie down. Seal, so to speak. Why not seal while reading about seals? Meet: a ringed seal comfortably spread out on the stage!





Akiba, or ringed seal, can be considered the northernmost mammal. While polar bears hang out on the northern coasts of the continents and huddle close to the islands, our waterfowl stops at nothing. The one and a half meter pinniped torpedo is found in the waters north of England, Newfoundland and Sakhalin. And they also get to the North Pole. What allows them to swim so far and not end up dead?



Thermal insulation of the seal rests on 2 pillars. The first of them is fat, a thick layer of which reliably protects a 70 kg carcass from frostbite. The second is a fur coat that does not allow water to pass through. The waterproofing is so good that the indigenous people of the north make pants and boots from seal skin. In these you can go waist-deep in water, and your neck won’t freeze.





Despite all the antifreeze, the animal can still experience a slight shock. In such cases, she uses active defense - she hollows out a small cave in the iceberg. Like a Chukchi in an igloo, it protects itself from cold winds and warms the small cavity with its warmth. By the way, for mining work she has claws 2.5 centimeters long (about the size of the phalanx of your finger).



Millions of years of evolution and harsh conditions have ideally adapted the seal’s body for swimming, but even in such an important task, it managed to seal and skip training, so it is a so-so swimmer. 25 km/h is the cruising speed of the pinniped, it is much lower than the speed of local predators. And the seal dives only 50 meters.



But below sea level it can linger for a long time. I'm willing to bet that most of you won't last 3 minutes underwater, but our heroine may not breathe for 20! This is very convenient: you can catch fresh fish and eat crabs and shrimp - truly a royal meal!



Unfortunately, the animal itself is a meal for a whole range of predators. On ice and land they are terrorized by arctic foxes and bears, under water they need to protect themselves from killer whales and sharks, and small fry need to look at the sky, skuas gulls do not sleep...



If the seal girl is not eaten by the age of 4, then she will think about childbearing. But the boys decide to take a serious step only after 7 years. After love games, girls and boys go in different directions, as seals respect each other’s personal space. The babies will appear in 9 months, but in an emergency, females can delay pregnancy for 2-3 months if she is not eating well! And this does not affect the development of the fetus in any way. Maybe.



Babies are born in small holes and strongly resemble soft and tender marshmallows, for which they are nicknamed squirrels. The fluffy lumps are defenseless; their fur is not even suitable for swimming. But with mother's milk, the baby will grow diving suits in just 2 months! And, if they’re lucky, the new fur will last them for 40-50 years. But, most likely, the animal will die earlier.



Accountants tried to estimate the number of ringed seals in the world, but could not agree. Various sources indicate figures from 3 to 7 million individuals, which is quite small. I won’t point a finger at who caused this. People liked tasty meat, excellent fur and fortified fat, and the dumping of production waste completed the job. But it is still too early to include them in the Red Book, which pleases and gives hope.