Most sightings locally are of the young of the year. Males and females differ little and their mass changes radically throughout the year, especially during the molt when animals are unable to feed. They are generally dark gray above and cream below with a constellation of light rings scattered across the head and back. Their front flippers are short and strong, outfitted with long, curved claws. These small stocky seals are true ice seals, rarely straying far from ice habitats in the Arctic and Subarctic.
Adults especially prefer land-fast ice and juveniles stray out to the fringes and pack ice.
Their long claws allow ringed seals to keep breathing holes open through the ice. Young may wander far and each year a few come ashore on Cape Cod to rest, especially during the winter months.