Pusa
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Pusa is a genus of the earless seals, within the family Phocidae. The genus were split from the genus Phoca, and some sources still give Phoca as an acceptable synonym for Pusa.
The 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. The International Union for Conservation of Nature recognizes three species of seals in Pusa, while other sources additionally recognize the Saimaa ringed seal as a distinct species rather than a subspecies of the ringed seal.
The Caspian seal and Saimaa ringed seal are endangered, while the Ladoga seal subspecies of the ringed seal is categorized as vulnerable.
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 126–129cm (50–51in) in length. Adults weigh around 86kg (190lb) 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 175cm (39.5 to 69in) and weigh from 32 to 140kg (71 to 309lb). The seal averages about 5ft (1.5m) long with a weight of about 50–70kg (110–150lb) Habitat: Diet: mysids, shrimp, arctic cod, and herring | LC |
| Saimaa ringed seal | Pusa saimensis (Nordqvist, 1899) | Saimaa | Size: Habitat: Diet: | |
| Baikal seal or nerpa | Pusa sibirica Gmelin, 1788 | Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
- Ferguson, Steven H.; etal. (2018). "Geographic Variation in Ringed Seal (Pusa Hispida) Growth Rate and Body Size". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 96 (7): 649–659. doi:.