| Pusa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Baikal seal | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Tribe: | Phocini |
| Genus: | Pusa Scopoli, 1771 |
| Type species | |
| Phoca foetica[1] (nowPusa hispida) Schreber, 1775 | |
| Species | |
Pusa caspica | |
Pusa is agenus of theearless seals, within the familyPhocidae. The three species of this genus were split from the genusPhoca, and some sources still givePhoca as an acceptable synonym forPusa.
The threespecies in this genus are found inArctic and subarctic regions, as well as around theCaspian Sea. This includes these countries and regions:Russia,Finland,Scandinavia,Britain,Greenland,Canada, the United States,Iran,Azerbaijan,Kazakhstan, andJapan. Due to changing local environmental conditions, the ringed seals found in the Canadian region has varied patterns of growth. The northern Canadian ringed seals grow slowly to a larger size, while the southern seals grow quickly to a smaller size.
Only the Caspian seal species ofPusa isendangered, while two subspecies of the ringed seal arevulnerable and endangered,Ladoga seal andSaimaa ringed seal respectively.
| Cladogram showing relationships among the extant members of genus Pusa, combining several phylogenetic analyses.[2] |
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caspian seal
| Pusa caspica (Gmelin, 1788) | Caspian Sea | Size: about 126–129 cm (50–51 in) in length. Adults weigh around 86 kg (190 lb)[3] Habitat: Diet: crustaceans and various fish species, such asClupeonella engrauliformis,C. grimmi,C. caspia,Gobiidae,Rutilus caspicus,Atherina boyeri, andSander lucioperca[4] | EN |
| Ringed seal
| Pusa hispida (Schreber, 1775) Five subspecies
| northern coast of Japan in the Pacific, and throughout the North Atlantic coasts of Greenland and Scandinavia as far south as Newfoundland, and include two freshwater subspecies in northern Europe | Size: 100 to 175 cm (39.5 to 69 in) and weigh from 32 to 140 kg (71 to 309 lb).[5] The seal averages about 5 ft (1.5 m) long with a weight of about 50–70 kg (110–150 lb)[6] Habitat: Diet:mysids,shrimp,arctic cod, andherring[6] | LC |
| Baikal seal or nerpa
| Pusa sibirica Gmelin, 1788 | Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
Office of Protected Resources -NOAA Fisheries."Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)". accessed 11 March 2010..png) | This article relating tocarnivorans is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
