They eat fish, squid, octopuses, cephalpools, crabs and shrimp. There enemies are people. People use to hunt them for fur and skin. They stay below the ice breathing through cracks. Out of the water they are sleety, quiet animals.
Spring is the time when groups of pregnant females lead by one male gather on broken ice shelf.
The pups are born on broken ice. The pups are born in September or October and are often confronted with temperatures as low as 20 Celsius. The pups rely on milk for the first 6 weeks. It has a blow hole at the top of the head. It has two fins.