Spotted seal (English spelling) Phoca largha; Larga seal

Japanese: ゴマフアザラシ（英語表記）Phoca largha; Larga seal

The genus Phocidae and the suborder Pinnipedia. Males can reach a body length of about 1.7 m and females about 1.6 m, and can weigh 82-123 kg. Their birth length is 77-92 cm, and their birth weight is 7-12 kg. Their fur is shiny gray or gray-brown with small black and white spots scattered all over the body. It is divided into an upper coat and an undercoat, the latter of which is dense and downy. When the pups are born, they are covered all over with long, thin, soft white fur, but after weaning they molt and become the same color as adults. Their body is thick and spindle-shaped, with a small head and a narrow forehead. Their nostrils are small and V-shaped at the tip of their snout. They have no ears, and their ear holes are relatively large and located slightly below and behind the eyes. Their snouts are sparsely covered with curly sensory hairs. It has webs between the toes of its forelimbs, fin-like hindlimbs, and densely hairy limbs. It has a short tail. 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 breeds on drift ice, feeding periodically. 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 along the coast, including near river mouths, 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。体長は雄約 1.7m，雌約 1.6m，体重は 82～123kgに達する。出生体長 77～92cm，出生体重7～12kgである。体毛は光沢のある灰色あるいは灰褐色で，黒色と白色の小斑が全身に散在する。上毛と下毛に分けられ，下毛は綿毛のように密である。出生仔は全身，細長く白色の柔らかい毛でおおわれるが，離乳後換毛し成獣と同色となる。体は太い紡錘形で，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。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。吻にはちぢれた感覚毛がまばらに生える。前肢の指間に蹼 (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各2本，頬歯は上顎と下顎に各 10本である。定期的に索餌を行いながら，流氷の上で繁殖する。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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