Hooded Seal

Colour - male blue-black with light spots; face black; belly lighter; female slightly paler, particularly on the back; young of the year have dark faces, blue backs, and silver bellies

Length - male 2.5 to 4 metres; female 2 to 2.5 metres

Shape - adult male with bulbous hood (enlarged nose) hanging slightly in front of mouth; the hood can be inflated for display (when angry or during breeding) in animals four years old or older

Behaviour - usually solitary except during breeding season (spring); often swims in deep water with only the top of the head breaking the water; adult male can inflate a red nasal membrane that protrudes from the nose as a display during mating or as a threat; whelps on pack ice in Davis Strait in spring; breeding follows the birth of the pups by one to two weeks; leaves the Arctic comparatively early, and is rarely seen there during summer; diet consists of fish (mainly Arctic cod and herring), cephalopods (squid and octopus), zooplankton and benthic invertebrates, such as starfish and mussels

Distribution - found in Davis Strait, Baffin Bay, Hudson Strait and Foxe Basin

Note - Inuit hunters prize Hooded Seal meat, but numbers are low, so few seals are taken each year.

Hooded Seal (42 KB)

Lancaster Sound Area Distribution Maps: This species is not sensitive in this area, therefore no maps are presented.

Coronation Gulf Area Distribution Maps: This species is not sensitive in this area, therefore no maps are presented.