Southern hooded seal (SciiFii)

The southern hooded seal (Cystophora vulgaris) is a species of hooded seal (Cystophora) that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the temperate, subtropical, and tropical seas and coastlines across the northern hemisphere to help boost biodiversity. The southern hooded seal is most closely related to the northern hooded seal (Cystophora cristata). The male southern hooded seals are about 2.6 meters (8 feet 6 inches) long on average, can grow to 3.5 meters in the largest individuals, and weigh 300–370 kg (660–815 lb). Sexual dimorphism is obvious from birth and females are much smaller: 2.03 meters (6 ft 8 in) long and weighing 145–300 kg (320–661 lb). The color is silvery; the body is scattered with dark, irregular marks. The head is darker than the rest of the body, and without marks. Like the northern hooded seal, the southern hooded seal has an unusual sexual ornament; a peculiar inflatable bladder septum on the head of the adult male. This bladder hangs between the eyes and down over the upper lip in the deflated state. In addition, the southern hooded seal can inflate a large balloon-like sac from one of its nostrils. This is done by shutting one nostril valve and inflating a membrane, which then protrudes from the other nostril. The diet of the souththern hooded seal is composed primarily of various amphipods (crustaceans), euphausiids (krill), and fish, including capelin, halibut, cod, pollock, herring, and redfish, to name a few. They also are known to eat squid, sea stars, clams, oysters, and mussels. The southern hooded seal can dive from 5 to 25 minute durations. However, some dives can go deeper than 1,016 meters (3,333 ft) and as long, or longer, than 52 minutes. The southern hooded seal is generally a solitary species, except during breeding and molting seasons. Unlike the northern hooded seals, the southern hooded seals are generally not territorial or aggressive towards members of their species. Male southern hooded seals are known to have several mates in a single mating season, meaning they are polygynous. While some males will defend and mate with just one female for long periods of time, others will be more mobile and tend to mate with multiple females for shorter periods of time, generating maximum offspring within the population. Most males reach sexual maturity by 5 years of age. Pups are about 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches) long at birth and weigh about 24 kilograms (53 lb). They are born from mid-March to early April with a well-developed blubber layer and having shed their pre-natal coat. They are born with a slate blue-grey coat (giving them the name "blueback"), with a pale cream color on the belly, which they will molt after about 14 months. Nursing of the pup lasts for an average of only 4 days, the shortest lactation period of any mammal, during which the pup doubles in size, gaining around 7 kilograms (15 lb)/day. This is because the milk that they drink has a fat content of 60%. The female pup will mature between ages 3 and 6, whereas the male pup will mature between ages 5 and 7. The conservation status of the southern hooded seal is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the southern hooded seal's wide range and, unlike the northern hooded seals, its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii