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Seals

  1. Species
  2. Seals

Overview

Seals are found along most coasts and cold waters, but a majority of them live in the Arctic and Antarctic waters.  Harbor, ringed, ribbon, spotted and bearded seals, as well as northern fur seals and Steller sea lions live in the Arctic region.

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WWF digs a safe home for endangered freshwater seals

An endangered population of freshwater seals in Finland recently received a lifeline from volunteers in the form of human-made snowbanks.

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A pregnant Saimaa ringed seal

Threats

Seals

Hunting

Human greed has led to the decline of many seal populations. In the past, millions of seals were killed for their valuable meat, blubber, and pelts. In some countries seals are still killed in large numbers because fishermen blame them for the decline in fish.

Climate Change

The ringed, ribbon, spotted and bearded seals, collectively known as “ice seals,” are Arctic inhabitants. The entire ringed seal lifecycle relies on ice and rapid ice loss in the Arctic causes seal pups to be prematurely separated from their mothers during the milking period. Rapid ice loss and the inability to build dens for protection leads to high pup mortality.

What WWF Is Doing

Seals

WWF works with agencies and coastal communities to ensure that harbor seals and other marine mammals are sustainably managed.

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How You Can Help

Support WWF

Show your love of the tiger with the WWF BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa credit card. Bank of America will contribute $100 to WWF for each account opened and activated.

Adopt a Harbor Seal

Make a symbolic harbor seal adoption to help save some of the world's most endangered animals from extinction and support WWF's conservation efforts.

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