Phoca
Encyclopedia
Phoca is a genus of the earless seal
Earless seal
The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal superfamily, Pinnipedia. All true seals are members of the family Phocidae . They are sometimes called crawling seals to distinguish them from the fur seals and sea lions of the family Otariidae...

s, within the Family Phocidae. It now contains just two species, the Common Seal and the Spotted Seal
Spotted Seal
The spotted seal , also known as the larga or largha seal, is a member of the family Phocidae, and is considered a "true seal". It inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas...

 (or Largha Seal). Several species formerly listed under this genus have been split into the genera Pusa
Pusa
Pusa is a genus of the earless seals, within the Family Phocidae. The three species of this genus were split from the genus Phoca, and some sources still give Phoca as an acceptable synonym for Pusa....

, Pagophilus
Harp Seal
The harp seal or saddleback seal is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean. It now belongs to the monotypic genus Pagophilus. Its scientific name, Pagophilus groenlandicus, means "ice-lover from Greenland", and its synonym, Phoca...

, and Histriophoca
Ribbon Seal
The ribbon seal is a medium-sized pinniped from the true seal family . 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...

.

Species

Currently there are two members:
  • Phoca largha (Spotted Seal
    Spotted Seal
    The spotted seal , also known as the larga or largha seal, is a member of the family Phocidae, and is considered a "true seal". It inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas...

    )
  • Phoca vitulina (Common Seal)


Former members of Phoca:
  • Histriophoca fasciata (Ribbon Seal
    Ribbon Seal
    The ribbon seal is a medium-sized pinniped from the true seal family . 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...

    )
  • Pusa caspica (Caspian Seal
    Caspian Seal
    Caspian seals , one of the smallest members of the earless seal family, are unique in that they are found exclusively in the brackish Caspian Sea. They can be found not only along the shorelines, but also on the many rocky islands and floating blocks of ice that dot the Caspian Sea...

    )
  • Pusa hispida (Ringed Seal
    Ringed Seal
    The ringed seal , also known as the jar seal and as netsik or nattiq by the Inuit, is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions...

    )
  • Pusa sibirica (Nerpa or Baikal Seal)
  • Pagophilus groenlandica (Harp Seal
    Harp Seal
    The harp seal or saddleback seal is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean. It now belongs to the monotypic genus Pagophilus. Its scientific name, Pagophilus groenlandicus, means "ice-lover from Greenland", and its synonym, Phoca...

    )
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