Ribbon seal
| Ribbon seal | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Parvorder: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Genus: | Histriophoca Gill, 1873 |
| Species: | H. fasciata |
| Binomial name | |
| Histriophoca fasciata (Zimmermann, 1783) | |
| Ribbon seal range (blue – summer, pink – maximal) | |
The ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata) is a medium-sized pinniped from the true seal family (Phocidae). A seasonally ice-bound species, it is found in the Arctic and Subarctic regions of the North Pacific Ocean, notably in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk. It is distinguished by its striking coloration, with two wide white strips and two white circles against dark brown or black fur.
It is the only living species in the genus Histriophoca, although a possible fossil species, H. alekseevi, has been described from the Miocene of Moldova.