#0154 · 🦊 mammals

Bearded Seal

🇳🇱 Baardrob ·Erignathus barbatus

NTnear threatened 🦊 Mammals 📍 in Europe, not in NL

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © Sebastián Lescano · CC BY-NC 4.0
2. © C Yasuda · CC BY-NC 4.0
3. © Herschel Island-Qikiqtaruk · CC BY-NC 4.0
4. © Van Remsen · CC BY-NC 4.0
5. © noahgaines · CC BY-NC 4.0
6. © Allan Hopkins · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
7. © Van Remsen · CC BY-NC 4.0
8. © mike_hoit · CC BY-NC 4.0
9. © bkbishop · CC BY-NC 4.0
10. © Christoph Moning · CC BY 4.0

what is it?

The bearded seal ( Erignathus barbatus ), also called the square flipper seal , is a medium-sized pinniped that is found in and near to the Arctic Ocean. It gets its generic name from two Greek words ( eri and gnathos ) that refer to its heavy jaw. The other part of its Linnaean name means bearded and refers to its most characteristic feature, the conspicuous and very abundant whiskers. When dry, these whiskers curl very elegantly, giving the bearded seal...

base stats

NL sightings 0iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 928iNaturalist observations
threat NTnear threatened

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
928 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777 (249 years ago).