- Granarkópur
- Kampselur, Granselur, Kampur
- Storkobbe
- Remmesæl
- Bearded seal
Bearded seals are the biggest true seals in the North Atlantic, reaching over two metres in length. Their weight varies significantly throughout the year between 250 and 300 kilograms, however, the largest bearded seal recorded was a female weighing astounding 432 kilograms! They got their name after to the long, white, sensitive whiskers they have on their snouts. In English, they are also called “square flipper” due to their large, pectoral fins that have flattened ends. Bearded seals can be found all over the Arctic region, however, there are two distinct subspecies, the Atlantic and the Pacific one.
Besides being the largest, bearded seals are also among the loudest seals. Adult bearded seals produce a variation of loud musical trills, grunts and moans that can be heard as far as 45 kilometres away! The seals vocalise throughout the year, but the peak is in the breeding season. The elaborate songs are individually distinct, and males use them to both attract females as well as to defend their territory. Females also vocalise, but not to the same extent as males.
Like the adults, bearded seal pups are also larger than other seal species. They are born covered with lanugo at about 1.3 metres and 45 kilograms. They nurse longer than some other seal species, from 18 to 24 days during which they do a first moult and lose their lanugo to get adult coat. Bearded seal pups are also very good divers. They can dive to depths of 200 metres hours after being born. Pups usually dive to greater depths compared to the adults. Adult seals usually dive to 200–300 metres, while pups, in their first year, dive to 450 metres.
The situation of bearded seals in the Faroe Islands
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The situation of bearded seals in Greenland
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The situation of bearded seals in Iceland
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The situation of bearded seals in Norway
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The situation of bearded seals in Denmark
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Adult length 2.1–2.7 metres
Adult weight 200–430 kg
Max age 30 years
Eats bottom feeders, mostly fish, but also invertebrates
Group size solitary, small groups
Predators polar bears, walrus, killer whales, Greenland shark
IUCN status Near threatened
Global abundance 500,000
Hunted in
Sound credit: William Halliday, WCS Canada
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Climate change has a really big impact in the Arctic environment. What kind of changes will bearded seals experience in a warmer Arctic and with melting sea ice?
Did you know that bearded seals from Svalbard are rusty?
In Svalbard, you can often observe bearded seals with red faces and flippers. This unusual coloration is mostly due to high concentrations of iron oxide (Fe2O3), but also vanadium, and manganese in their fur. When bearded seals feed on gastropods and bivalves in soft-bottom sediments, they dig with their fore-flippers or stick their heads into the sediment, where they come into contact with rich deposits of iron monosulfide. When the sediment is brought up into the water column when they dive to the surface again, the iron monosulfide is oxidized to form iron oxides that deposit onto the hair shafts of the seals, giving them their rusty appearance. During the molt, you can see the difference between their original grey-blue fur colour and the red and orange coloration due to the rust.



















































































































