Pusa
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Pusa is a genus of the earless seals, within the family Phocidae. The three species of this genus were split from the genus Phoca, and some sources still give Phoca as an acceptable synonym for Pusa.
The three species in this genus are found in Arctic and subarctic regions, as well as around the Caspian Sea. This includes these countries and regions: Russia, Finland, Scandinavia, Britain, Greenland, Canada, the United States, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Japan. 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 of Pusa is endangered, while two subspecies of the ringed seal are vulnerable and endangered, Ladoga seal and Saimaa ringed seal respectively.
Taxonomy
| Pusa Ringed seal Baikal seal Caspian seal | |
| Pusa | Ringed seal Baikal seal Caspian seal |
| Ringed seal Baikal seal | |
| Ringed seal | |
| Baikal seal | |
| Caspian seal | |
| Cladogram showing relationships among the extant members of genus Pusa, combining several phylogenetic analyses. |
Species
| 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) Habitat: Diet: crustaceans and various fish species, such as Clupeonella engrauliformis, C. grimmi, C. caspia, Gobiidae, Rutilus caspicus, Atherina boyeri, and Sander lucioperca | EN |
| Ringed seal | Pusa hispida (Schreber, 1775) Five subspecies P. h. hispida in the Arctic Ocean and Bering SeaP. h. ochotensis in the Sea of OkhotskP. h. saimensis in Lake Saimaa in FinlandP. h. ladogensis in nearby Lake Ladoga in RussiaP.h. botnica in the Gulf of Bothnia. | 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). The seal averages about 5 ft (1.5 m) long with a weight of about 50–70 kg (110–150 lb) Habitat: Diet: mysids, shrimp, arctic cod, and herring | LC |
| Baikal seal or nerpa | Pusa sibirica Gmelin, 1788 | Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
- Ferguson, Steven H.; et al. (2018). "Geographic Variation in Ringed Seal (Pusa Hispida) Growth Rate and Body Size". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 96 (7): 649–659. doi:.