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Defenders Magazine
Species Spotlight: Ringed Seals
Being the most common seals in the Arctic hasn't kept ringed seals, named for the ring-shaped marks on their coats, safe from the effects of global warming. The only arctic seals that can survive in completely ice-covered waters—they dig breathing holes with the stout claws on their front flippers—these seals are also adapted to breed, molt, rest and raise their young only on sea ice.
But earlier snow melt is causing the snow caves of baby ringed seals to collapse too soon, and without these hideaways the still-nursing seals become sitting ducks—left vulnerable to polar bears, arctic foxes, ravens and gulls. Some even freeze to death when temperatures turn cold after premature lair collapses.
And while this may sound like good news for imperiled polar bears, who dine almost exclusively on ringed seals, in the long run the few extra calories the bears may be gaining now will cost them later if the adult seal population drops.
Scientists are standing by to see if the seals can adapt to their changing environment and reproduce on land instead—where many more predators await them on the coastline. But climate change isn't the only problem these seals must overcome.
Like other arctic mammals, they face problems from oil and gas exploration and extraction, which cause pollution and disturbance in many parts of their range, particularly in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.
But there is hope. With a new administration willing to address global warming and propose alternatives to our reliance on fossil fuels, it's possible that if we adapt, ringed seals will have a better chance at survival.
