(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
ARKive - Hooded seal videos, photos and facts - Cystophora cristata
The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20110830140513/http://www.arkive.org:80/hooded-seal/cystophora-cristata/

Hooded seal  (Cystophora cristata)

IUCN Red List species status – Vulnerable
Change text background colour

Description - Hooded seal

The hooded seal owes its name to the striking nasal appendage that adorns the head of sexually mature males. The wide, fleshy muzzle of adult males usually droops down over the mouth, but when inflated it forms a conspicuous bulbous "hood" on top of the head; a display feature that is often enhanced by the extrusion of an internal membrane through one nostril to form a large, pink, membranous balloon. The face is typically solid black in colour, but the rest of the body's coat is silver or bluish grey, with scattered black spots and blotches (2) (3) (4). The flippers are heavily clawed, and being a true seal, the broad, hindflippers are extremely efficient in the water, but useless on land, while the smaller, foreflippers have a primary function in steerage rather than propulsion (2) (5). Owing to their silvery bellies and blue-black backs, hooded seal pups are commonly known as 'blue-backs' (3).

More

Related species

  • The Tope shark (Galeorhinus galeus) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
  • The Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
  • The Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
  • The Smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
  • The Porbeagle (Lamna nasus) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
  • The Buller’s shearwater (Puffinus bulleri) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
  • The Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
  • The Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
  • The Harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) lives in a similar habitat over a similar geographic range and has a similar taxonomy
  • The Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) lives in a similar habitat over a similar geographic range and has a similar taxonomy and conservation status
  • The Thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
  • The Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) has a similar geographic range and conservation status
More

Related species by status

  • Guarea (Guarea jamaicensis)
  • Southeast Asian soft terrapin (Amyda cartilaginea)
  • Canut's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus canuti)
  • Kibatalia (Kibatalia villosa)
  • Calyptranthes (Calyptranthes polyneura)
  • Hopea (Hopea griffithii)
  • Stony coral (Porites horizontalata)
  • Koko'olau (Bidens amplectens)
  • Sceloporus (Sceloporus megalepidurus)
  • Eleutherodactylus (Eleutherodactylus rubrimaculatus)
  • Pittosporum (Pittosporum fairchildii)
  • Limestone salamander (Hydromantes brunus)
More

Related species by group

  • Ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii)
  • Spotted seal (Phoca largha)
  • Harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus)
  • Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina)
  • Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)
  • Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii)
  • Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris)
  • Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica)
  • Ringed seal (Pusa hispida)
  • Caspian seal (Pusa caspica)
  • Crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga)
  • Bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus)
More

Related species by geography

  • Ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
  • Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
  • Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis)
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
  • Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
  • Gannet (Morus bassanus)
  • Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
  • Common seal (Phoca vitulina)
  • Black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
  • Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
  • Northern pintail (Anas acuta)
  • Razorbill (Alca torda)
More

Related species by habitat

  • La Plata skate (Atlantoraja platana)
  • Snowy sheathbill (Chionis albus)
  • Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina)
  • Salvin’s albatross (Thalassarche salvini)
  • Cory's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea)
  • Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus)
  • Fea’s petrel (Pterodroma feae)
  • Philippine duck (Anas luzonica)
  • Gould's petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera)
  • Southern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides)
  • New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri)
  • Socotra cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis)

What's new?

Sun parakeet moving along branch

Great new image of the Endangered sun parakeet. More

Latest from the ARKive blogsubscribe to posts

Loading...
ARKive.org is the place for films, photos and facts about endangered species. Subscribe to our blog today to keep up to date!

To see the latest posts from ARKive please visit http://blog.arkive.org or enable javascript.