Fishin' for Facts: Hooded Seals

Name: Hooded Seal                  
Scientific name: Cystophora cristata

Males reach (3 m) and weigh up to (400 kg)

Females reach (2.4 m) and weigh (300 kg)

Newborns are (90 to 110 cm) long and weigh (20-30 kg)

There are two populations of hooded seals, one in the northeast and one in the northwest Atlantic.

Hooded seals hunt and eat a variety of fish including Greenland halibut, capelin, herring, and Arctic cod. They also eat crustaceans, octopus, squid, seastars, and mussels.

Pups fall prey to polar bears. Killer whales might dine on them, too.

When it comes to looks, the male hooded seals have a double whammy on bizarre. Males have an extra large snout, called a "hood." It is wrinkly and saggy when not inflated. When the male is disturbed he inflates the hood. If that's not enough, he can "blow up" (scientists say "expand") a bright red "balloon" out his left nostril.  (The balloon is actually an inflated membrane dividing the nostrils.)  A male inflates the balloon -- above and below water -- as a display of seal macho-ness during breeding season.  

 

Hooded seals are deep divers, often diving 325 to 1950 feet (100-600 m). Some have been found even deeper, as far as 3280 feet (1000 m) down. A hooded seal generally stays under about 15 minutes, but on those deeper dives can under more than an hour.

 

Speed breeding? Breeding season starts and ends within 2.5 weeks. That includes giving birth, nursing, weaning, and getting pregnant again!  The mother's milk is 60% fat.  As you might guess, hooded seals have the shortest nursing period of any mammal, just 4 days. During those four days, a pup gains  15.5 lb (7.1 kg) every 24 hours. That means it grows from 50 to 90 pounds (22 kg to 42 kg) in less than a week! That's 2.5 to 6 times faster than other seals. 

 

Hooded may live to be 20-something, though a very few may live up to 35 years.

 

Citation: Musgrave, Ruth A. Hooded Seals. Fishin' for Facts. WhaleTimes, Inc. (whaletimes.org) 2011 

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