Bearded Seal
Erignathus barbatus

f6.3 @ 1/2000s, ISO:1000, Nikon D3S w 500mm

\"Bearded Seal,\" Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.The bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), also called the square flipper seal, is a medium-sized pinniped that is found in and near to the Arctic Ocean.Distinguishing features of this earless seal include square fore flippers and thick bristles on its muzzle. Adults are greyish-brown in color, darker on the back; rarely with a few faint spots on the back or dark spots on the sides. Occasionally the face and neck are reddish-brown. Bearded seal pups are born with a greyish-brown natal fur with scattered patches of white on the back and head. The bearded seal is unique in the subfamily Phocinae in having two pairs of teats, a feature it shares with monk seals.Bearded seals reach about 2.1 m (6.9 ft) to 2.7 m (8.9 ft) in nose-to-tail length and from 200 kg (441 lb) to 430 kg (948 lb) in weight.Both sexes are about the same size.

Svalbard, Norway

07/13/2013