Habitat
Closely associated with sea ice from late autumn to early summer. Young are born on drifting pack ice. Lives in coastal waters during ice-free months (Burns 1978). Occurs in estuaries and embayments in late summer and fall. Rests ashore on tide exposed rocks and (in winter) on ice floes. During open-water season, often hauls out on sandbars and beaches (NatureServe 2006).
References
Burns, J. J. 1978. Ice seals. Pp. 193-205, in Marine mammals of eastern North Pacific and Arctic waters (D. Haley, ed.). Pacific Search Press, Seattle.
NatureServe. 2006. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life. Version 5.0. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer.
