''Phoca'' ( ) is a genus of the
earless seal
The earless seals, phocids or true seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal lineage, Pinnipedia. All true seals are members of the family Phocidae (). They are sometimes called crawling seals to distinguish them from th ...
s, within the
family Phocidae, source of the French name for seal, 'phoque'. It now contains just two species, the
common seal
The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinnipeds, pinniped (walruses ...
(or harbour seal) and the
spotted seal
The spotted seal (''Phoca largha''), also known as the larga seal 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. It is primaril ...
(or largha seal). Several species formerly listed under this genus have been split into the genera ''
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''.
The three species in this ge ...
'', ''
Pagophilus'', and ''
Histriophoca
The ribbon seal (''Histriophoca fasciata'') is a medium-sized pinniped from the true seal family (Phocidae). 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 ...
''. Until recently, ''Phoca largha'' has been considered a subspecies of ''Phoca vitulina'' but now is considered its own species. For this reason, the fossil history of the genus is unclear, and it has formerly been used as
wastebasket taxon
Wastebasket taxon (also called a wastebin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined ...
for a number of fossils of uncertain affinity.
Species
Currently there are two members:
Former members of ''Phoca'':
* ''Histriophoca fasciata'' (
ribbon seal
The ribbon seal (''Histriophoca fasciata'') is a medium-sized pinniped from the true seal family (Phocidae). 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 ...
)
* ''Pusa caspica'' (
Caspian seal
The Caspian seal (''Pusa caspica'', syn. ''Phoca caspica'') is one of the smallest members of the earless seal family and unique in that it is found exclusively in the brackish Caspian Sea. It lives along the shorelines, but also on the many roc ...
)
* ''Pusa hispida'' (
ringed seal
The ringed seal (''Pusa hispida'') is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. The ringed seal is a relatively small seal, rarely greater than 1.5 m in length, with a distinctive patterning of dark spots surrounded by light g ...
)
* ''Pusa sibirica'' (nerpa or
Baikal seal
The Baikal seal, Lake Baikal seal or (''Pusa sibirica''), is a species of earless seal endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. Like the Caspian seal, it is related to the Arctic ringed seal. The Baikal seal is one of the smallest true seals a ...
)
* ''Pagophilus groenlandica'' (
harp seal
The harp seal (''Pagophilus groenlandicus''), also known as Saddleback Seal or Greenland Seal, is a species of earless seal, or true seal, native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. Originally in the genus ''Phoca'' with a number ...
)
Mating ecology
![Harbour seal breast feeding 1150144](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Harbour_seal_breast_feeding_1150144.jpg)
Both harbour and spotted seals are aquatically mating
pinniped
Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the walru ...
s.
Mating occurs in the water around the time when pups are weaned.
Females in
estrus
The estrous cycle (, originally ) is the set of recurring physiological changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian therian females. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous ...
are typically more dispersed than land-breeding pinnipeds and the distinction between foraging and reproductive behavior is less apparent. For this reason, it is difficult to study the mating patterns of this genus.
Female harbour seals start making foraging trips shortly before weaning their pup and consequently are widely dispersed when in estrus.
Males restrict their range around the time females start to make these foraging trips.
Harbour seals follow a
polygynous mating system. More specifically it has been shown that male harbour seals partake in
lek polygyny. Male seals defend underwater territories with well-defined boundaries.
The most valuable territories are near
haulouts or along traffic corridors that provide maximum exposure to estrous females.
One male will occupy an area throughout the breeding season, and they will return to the same display area in consecutive years.
Female harbour seals receive direct benefits from being in a lek, as the congregation of males into an area makes mate selection easier because females do not have to travel as far and it also helps to reduce exposure to predators.
![Noaa-seal7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Noaa-seal7.jpg)
Harbour seal males use underwater vocalizations and display dives within their aquatic territories, for both
female attraction and male-male competition.
Male harbour seal vocalizations consist of low-frequency broadband growls that peak in occurrence during the mating season.
Males vocalize and display in small, distinct territories covering around 40–135 m
2.
Each display area is spatially discrete and can be separated by up to 250 meters.
Male harbour seals have considerable individual and geographic variation in their underwater vocalizations.
Territory holders use the acoustic displays of intruders to locate and challenge invaders and will respond aggressively to a male call.
Males assess each other by their vocalizations before deciding whether to respond.
[Nicholson, T. E. (2000). Social structure and underwater behavior of harbor seals in southern Monterey Bay, California. M.S. thesis, San Francisco State University.] These vocalizations are energetically expensive to produce and are honest signals of male quality and dominance. Male body condition will decline as the mating season progresses.
Aquatic hierarchies in harbour seals develop before the breeding season and dominance is determined by direct male contests. These contests involve repeated confrontations between two males using surface splashing, fighting, paired somersaulting, and chasing techniques.
The hierarchies may aid in holding territories or to mate with females during the breeding season. The dominance relationships are determined by size and sex, with adult males dominant to sub-adult males, and sub-adult females submissive to all other social classes. Aquatic courtship is long in duration and involves rolling, bubble blowing, and splashing to attract females.
Female choice appears to play a strong role in this mating system but it has yet to be formally studied.
The mating system of spotted seals is quite different from harbour seals as spotted seals are
serially monogamous. During the breeding season, a male will join a female approximately ten days before the female gives birth to a pup from the previous years mating.
The pairs are considered to be territorial as they keep widely spaced from other spotted seals.
The social group consists of an isolated adult pair and the females pup.
The female spotted seal receives direct benefits from the male as he provides protection for her and the pup until it is weaned. Immediately after weaning mating occurs.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q878742
Phocins
Mammal genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus