Greenland Seal or Harp Seal (Histriophoca groenlandia)

Greenland Seal or Harp Seal (Histriophoca groenlandia) – a mammal of Phociedae family, pinnipeds order. G.S. is a pronounced migratory breed. The fully grown males are 170–200 cm long; the females are 150–180 cm long weighing 100–160 kg. G.S. only spends its cup-bearing, breeding, mating, and shedding periods in the White Sea. G.S. appear in the White Sea in late autumn – early winter. In February–March they gather together in large breeding colonies on the drifting ice of the White Sea. Such breeding colonies consisting of tens of thousands of G.S. may sometimes span over a dozen kilometers. Mass whelping occurs in late February to early March. A female usually rears one cub. The pelage of a newly-born G.S. cub is white with yellowish and greenish hue, hence a common nickname zelenets.¹ Several days later this hue goes away, the cub often being referred as belyok²during this period. G.S.’s staple food includes schooling fish (capelin, Arctic cod, etc.) and...