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| Distribution |
In NC, sparingly in coastal waters. We are aware of five strandings in 2001 (all at one time?), and one in 2006, as well as two specimen records (one from 1944). There are two NC specimens in the USNM database, one from Dare County in 2001 and another with poor data (no year or county given -- only 'North Banks Beach', a non-existent place name).
Occurs in the far north Atlantic and the Arctic oceans, normally ranging south to about Nova Scotia. Strays occur farther south in winter, very rarely to NC. |
| Abundance |
Rangewide, uncommon to fairly common, but not as numerous as some other northern Atlantic seals. In NC waters, apparently casual to very rare, with only a few known records of strandings. |
| Seasonal Occurrence |
Very odd. Though one would presume the species to occur mainly in winter or early spring, as NC lies beyond the normal extent of the winter range, nearly all records are for late summer and early fall! One was found alive on 19 August 2001 at Fort Fisher. Another was a live stranding on 15 September 2006, at Wrightsville Beach (photo on the UNC-W stranding website). The NCSM database has a collection of one from 17 September 1944, and the USNM specimen is from 10 August, without a year given. However, there is a specimen record for 27 March. |
| Habitat |
Normally, in cold waters, usually near ice. |
| Behavior |
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| Comments |
This is a highly migratory species, though moving from one area to the next in Arctic waters, to stay near ice. Males can inflate air sacs on the top of their nose to form a large hood-like structure. The number of NC records (at least four) from late summer and early fall seems most unusual for such a cold-water species. |
| Origin |
Native |
| NC List |
Official |
 State Rank |
SAM |
| State Status |
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| Global Rank |
G5 |
| Federal Status |
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| subspecies |
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| other_comName |
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| synonym |
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