Latin name:
Phocinae-Cystophorini-Cystophora-C.cristata
Description:
The hooded seal is robust and has a broad, stocky head and can reach 2 to 2.6 m in length and up to 145 to 400 kg in weight. Its nose is very broad and fleshy. There is a big difference between male and female hooded seals: males are much larger and have an inflatable dark bulge on the top of their head. Adult males are also able to inflate their left nostril into a large red balloon. They have a silvery grey coat, which is marked with irregular dark spots. These spots become larger towards the head. The head is usually completely dark.
Pups:
Pups are born with a slate blue-grey coat, with a pale cream colour on their belly. They are born during the spring months on the arctic icecaps. The pups are weaned from their mother when they are only four days old.
Status:
Like other arctic seals, hooded seals have been hunted since the prehistoric age. During the last centuries, they have also been hunted for commercial purposes, especially for seal-liver-oil and baby seal fur. Hooded seals are still being hunted in Greenland today.
Range:
