Bearded Seal

Bearded Seal
アゴヒゲアザラシ
Character Data
Romaji		Agohigeazarashi
Debut		Kemono Friends (2015 Game)
Animal Data
Scientific Name		Erignathus barbatus
Distribution		Arctic Ocean
Diet		Carnivore
Avg. Lifespan		25 Years
Read More		Bearded Seal
Conservation
Bearded Seal's Merchandise

Bearded Seal

Anime

Festival

Pavilion

KF3

Nexon Game

Gallery

The Bearded Seal is a mammalian Friend that appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game and later cameoed in the Kemono Friends anime.

Appearance

Bearded Seal has gray to light gray colored hair, long enough to reach her lower back, with a gray streak going from the top of her head down to the center of her bangs. Her hair is also darker at the back of her head. In her hair, above her ears she has two gray colored flippers that descend into a darker gray color at their ends. Beside the front of her ears on both sides of her face are long thick white colored whiskers. She also has brown eyes.

She wears a gray one piece swimsuit with darker twin gray crests pointing down, at her hips. She wears gray skin-tight sleeves that have a darker gray gradient at the fingers. She also wears knee length skin-tight gray socks that end in another gradient. Bearded Seal’s tail is short but, thick and gray colored.

Series Appearances

Appearances In Kemono Friends Media

Media		Role

In Real Life

The Bearded Seal, named after their long whiskers, is a species of seal belonging to the family Phocidae which are known as true seals. They mainly reside on pack ice and drifting ice sheets in the circumpolar Arctic Ocean region, in areas less than 650 feet deep, as well as nearby seas up to 85° north. Bearded Seals are the largest of the arctic seals, usually growing to lengths of 7 to 8 feet and weighing as much as 800 pounds in females and 575 pounds among males. They mainly prey upon crustaceans, mollusks, and fish. Bearded Seals will usually dive less than 328 feet below the surface to hunt prey. Bearded Seals live and hunt alone.

The exact details of Bearded Seal courtship are not known due to insufficient study of this behavior. Female Bearded Seals reach sexual maturity in 4 to 5 years and males in 6 to 7 years. Males breeding calls can be heard up to 12 miles away. Female Bearded Seals only give birth to a single pup. These pups are usually born during mid-March and early May on pack ice that annually brakes off from shorefast ice. Bearded Seal pups can swim a few hours after their birth.

A Bearded Seal hauled out on sea ice.

Pups are sometimes hunted by walruses. Adult Bearded Seals are prey to polar bears and orcas. When hauled out Bearded Seals will position themselves near the edge of the ice so to quickly escape predators.

Trivia

• Mysteriously, In 2007, a Bearded Seal was spotted on the southern coast of the U.S. state of Florida, more than 2,000 miles away from it’s natural range. Two days later it was finally captured by rescue teams, but was severely thin and dehydrated. A day after capture the seal died. It is not known how the animal ended up in Florida.

References

• "Bearded Seal (Erignathus Barbatus)". NOAA Fisheries, 14 Jan. 2015, www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/seals/bearded-seal.html. Accessed on 4th, January, 2018.
• "Bearded Seals, Erignathus Barbatus ~ MarineBio.org". MarineBio Conservation Society, 14 Jan. 2014, marinebio.org/species.asp?id=268. Accessed on 6th, January, 2018.
• Kovacs, K.M. 2016. "Erignathus barbatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T8010A45225428. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T8010A45225428.en. Accessed on 6th, January, 2018.

Notes

Some of the source data in the references conflicts with some data found in other listed sources. In all instances of conflict the IUCN Red List data was used over the other reference because it is the most comprehensive and up-to-date source.