Spotted Seal
Phoca largha

Where do spotted seals live?

Spotted seals are found along the continental shelf of the Beaufort, Chukchi, Bering, and Okhotsk Seas south to the northern Yellow Sea and western Sea of Japan. In Alaska, they are known to occur as far south as the Pribilof Islands, Bristol Bay, and the eastern Aleutian Islands. These seals use sea ice to rest, give birth, and molt. Spotted seals migrate south from the Chukchi Sea through the Bering Strait in October-November ahead of the advancing sea ice, and overwinter in the Bering Sea in the pack ice over the continental shelf. During spring, they are distributed mainly in the ice front and move to coastal habitats after the sea ice retreats.

What do spotted seals eat?

Spotted seals eat a broad spectrum of species: walleye pollock, capelin, arctic cod, saffron cod, herring, capelin, crabs, shrimp, and octopus.

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