The ringed seal is commonly preyed upon by Polar bears, Arctic foxes, and Killer whales.

Arctic ringed seals have been listed as threatened on the Endangered Species Act since 2012, and increasingly face loss of their habitat due to shrinking ice and snow cover.

It is characterized by a small head, a snout that resembles a cat's with whiskers, and a sturdy, elongated body.

Its coat is typically dark with a silver-colored belly, marked by silver rings along its back and sides.

Depending on subspecies and sex, adult seals can vary in size, measuring from 100 to 175 cm (39.5 to 69 in) and weighing from 30 to 140 kg (70 to 310 lb).

Pinnipeds originated in the Arctic, and diverged 20-25 million years ago into three families: Phocidae (true seals), Otariidae (sea lions), and Odobenidae (walruses).

Members of the Phocidae group, which include ringed, Baikal, and Caspian seals, have adapted to breeding on sea ice.

These regions do not reflect their full distribution since estimates of Arctic ringed seal populations are not available in certain areas.

It can be difficult to accurately assess ringed seals' abundance, due to difficulty in tracking their trends in movement.

[2] Based on available data for study areas within the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, scientists estimate that there are about 1 million seals in this region.

As temperatures warm, ringed seals transition to laying on the surface of the ice near breathing holes.

Ringed seals are usually solitary, however they may gather in groups around breathing holes during the molting season each spring.

Various wildlife groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, have taken legal action against the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to designate a critical habitat for Ringed Seals.

Males are reported to have territorial tendencies during the breeding season, producing a strong, gasoline-like scent to mark their breathing holes and lairs.

The pups are born with a white natal coat of blubber, known as the “lanugo,” that provides insulation until it sheds after 4-6 weeks.

During nursing, Arctic ringed seals spend about 50% of their time in the water, and practice developing deep diving skills.

Ringed seals eat a wide variety of small prey that span several trophic levels.

Analysis reveals their diet varies depending on a variety of factors, such as location, season, life stage, and sex.

[2] Herring, redfish, snailfish, sand lance, and Atlantic salmon are also common prey items.

During summer and fall, seals feed on prey such as sand lance during the open water season, to prepare fat reserves for the winter.

Analysis of fatty acid signatures found that ringed seals are the predominant prey species for polar bears.

These include their time spent practicing diving, use of breathing holes, prolonged lanugo stage, and ability to hide in snow caves.

The major threat to ringed seals is habitat loss due to global climate change.

The effects of a warming climate are most extreme in northern regions, where these arctic ringed seals inhabit.

This is due to the albedo effect, in which melting snow and ice reduces the amount of sunlight reflected back.

Ringed seals need accumulated snow and stable ice to build their birth lairs.

Early Paleoskimo sites in Arctic Canada reveal signs of harvested ringed seals dating back from c. 300-3500 BC.

These include commercial fishing, ship traffic, petroleum drilling, pollutants, and human-aided global warming.

In Russia, the Franz Josef State Nature Reserve protects large swaths of ringed seal habitat in the Russian Arctic.

[10] The Red List assessment notes that the conservation status of ringed seals should be reassessed within a decade.