Ross seal: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Ross seal lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Ommatophoca rossii
Group	Seals, sea lions & walrus
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	Antarctica
Class	Mammal
Order	Carnivora
Family	Phocidae

Where does the Ross seal live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Ross seal in 1 country or territory across Antarctica.

Antarctica

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Ross seal endangered?

The Ross seal’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Ross seal?

The Ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Phocidae, genus Ommatophoca. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Ross seal

The Ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii) is a true seal (family Phocidae) with a range confined entirely to the pack ice of Antarctica. It is the only species of the genus Ommatophoca. First described during the Ross expedition in 1841, it is the smallest, least abundant and least well known of the Antarctic pinnipeds. Its distinctive features include disproportionately large eyes, whence its scientific name (Ommato- meaning "eye", and phoca meaning "seal"), and complex, trilling and siren-like vocalizations. Ross seals are brachycephalic as they have a short broad muzzle, and also have shorter fur than any other seal.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Ross seal (revision 1373673805), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q837610 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).