Phoca fasciata; ribbon seal

Japanese: クラカケアザラシ（英語表記）Phoca fasciata; ribbon seal

The spotted seal is a member of the genus Phocidae, suborder Pinnipedia, family Phocidae. It can reach a body length of about 1.8 m and a weight of 90-148 kg. Its birth length is about 86 cm and its birth weight is about 10.5 kg. The color of the fur differs between sexes; males are dark grayish blue-purple or reddish purple, and have a wide collar-like white band on the neck, as well as white bands that run from both shoulders to the forelimbs, which join near the anus and point upward. The species name comes from the fact that these white bands make the darker areas look saddle-like. Females are uniformly dark beige or dark brownish gray, and may have a clear milky white band on the back of the body. The body is thick and spindle-shaped, with a small head and a narrow forehead. The nostrils are small and V-shaped at the tip of the snout. The snout is narrow and concave in the middle. There are no ears, and the ear holes are relatively large and located slightly below and behind the eyes. Its forelimbs are short and have webs between the toes, its hind limbs are fin-like, and its limbs are densely hairy. Its tail is short. It has six incisors on the upper jaw and four on the lower jaw, two canines on each side, and ten cheek teeth on each side. It lives alone on ice and can move quickly by twisting its body like a snake. It gives birth on drift ice from early April to early May. Its diet changes depending on the location and season, and it preys on northern fish and crustaceans. It is widely distributed in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, and the Bering Sea. It lives on the south side of the ice edge from winter to early summer, and on the coast, including near the mouth of rivers, from late summer to autumn.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

食肉目鰭脚亜目アザラシ科ゴマフアザラシ属。体長約 1.8m，体重 90～148kgに達する。出生体長は約 86cm，出生体重は約 10.5kgである。体毛の色は雌雄で異なり，雄は暗い灰色を帯びた青紫色または赤紫色で，頸部に幅広い首輪状の白帯があるほか，両肩から前肢のまわりを取囲む白帯があり，これらは肛門付近で合一し上方に向う。種名はこれらの白色帯によって濃色部分が鞍 (くら) 状にみえることに由来する。雌は一様に濃いベージュ色か濃い茶ねずみ色で体の後部に鮮明な乳白色の帯を有することがある。体型は太い紡錘形で，頭は小さく額が狭い。鼻孔は小さく吻端にありV字状である。吻は狭く中央がへこむ。耳介はなく，耳孔は眼の後方やや下側に位置し比較的大きい。前肢は短く指間に蹼 (みずかき) があり，後肢は鰭 (ひれ) 状で，四肢は毛が密生する。尾は短い。門歯は上顎6本，下顎4本，犬歯は上顎と下顎に2本ずつ，頬歯は上顎と下顎に各 10本である。氷上で単独生活し，ヘビのように体をくねらせてすばやく動くことができる。4月上旬から5月上旬に流氷の上で出産する。食性は場所や季節によって変化し，北方系魚類や甲殻類を捕食する。オホーツク海，黄海，日本海およびベーリング海に広く分布する。冬から初夏にかけては氷縁の南側に，晩夏から秋にかけては河口付近を含む沿岸に生息する。

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