What does the bearded seal eat?

Therefore, they are sensitive to environmental changes that affect the annual timing and extent of sea ice formation and melting.

kingofpunjabians

Jan 13, 2026 - 23:37

Their preferred depth range is estimated to be generally less than 200 meters, so their effective range is limited to areas where seasonal sea ice forms over relatively shallow waters, allowing them access to the seabed to feed.

Bearded seals have a varied diet, feeding primarily on or near the seabed on a variety of benthic invertebrates (such as shrimp, crabs, clams, and snails) and demersal fish (such as cod and scallops). They mainly employ a specialized suction-feeding technique, a strategy that allows them to engulf their soft-bodied benthic prey.

Bearded seals inhabit relatively shallow Arctic and subarctic waters (generally less than 200 meters deep) that are seasonally ice-covered. In U.S. waters, bearded seals are found off the coast of Alaska, on the continental shelf of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. Due to their close association with sea ice, particularly drifting ice, their distribution and seasonal movements are linked to seasonal changes in ice conditions. To maintain their connection to their preferred icy habitat, bearded seals typically migrate north in late spring and summer, when the ice melts and retreats, and then south in autumn, when the sea ice freezes and expands. Bearded seals rely on sea ice as a safe and stable platform to give birth, nurse, and raise their pups in early spring, to molt and regenerate during spring and early summer, and to rest at other times of the year.

Although bearded seal hunting is limited in some areas of their range, there is little to no evidence to suggest that such hunting currently poses, or is likely to pose, a significant threat. While the United States prohibits the commercial hunting of marine mammals, hunting is permitted in some other areas of their range. However, large-scale commercial hunting of bearded seals is not currently practiced and appears unlikely to occur in the near future.

Bearded seals are the largest of the Arctic seal species. They reach lengths of 2.1 to 2.4 meters and weigh between 250 and 360 kilograms. In some areas, females appear slightly larger than males. Bearded seals generally have a plain gray or brown coat, large bodies, and small, square forelimbs. Some individuals have rust-colored faces and forelimbs, which they acquire while foraging in the sediments of the seabed. They have a short snout with long, thick, white whiskers (also known as sensory bristles), which gives this species its distinctive "beard".