One of the largest species of seals living in the Arctic Ocean is the sea hare, or lahtak. It lives in almost all Arctic seas and the waters adjacent to them. Lakhtak can be found on the eastern coast of the East Siberian Sea, on the Chukchi Sea, at Cape Borrow, in the waters of Spitsbergen, Severnaya Zemlya. In addition, these animals live in the shallow waters of the Kara, Barents and White Seas. Lakhtak took a fancy to most of the Sea of Okhotsk and even reached the coast of South Sakhalin. It can be found in the waters of the North Atlantic, as well as on the western and eastern shores of Greenland. Some individuals sometimes, not of their own free will, even migrate to the North Pole, where they are carried on ice floes.
What does a sea hare look like? It has a rather massive trunk, against the background of which the head and flippers seem small. The length of adult representatives of this species is from 2.2 to 3 m, depending on the habitat, and its weight can be up to 360 kg. Lahtak has a slightly elongated face and a shortened neck. Adult individuals have a monochromatic brownish-gray back, which at the bottom becomes light gray. Many individuals along the back have a peculiar belt - a dark stripe with fuzzy contours. Females and males have the same color.
The sea hare has a distinct feature that distinguishes it from other seals - large thick and long labyrinths (a distinctive mustache) of a smooth and even shape. The rest of the hair is rough and relatively sparse. Newborn seals have a gray-brown soft hair that resembles a fur coat. On the head, animals have whitish spots. The third finger on the front flippers is the longest. The teeth are quite small, which leads to their rapid abrasion. That is why in adults from the gums they act slightly.
Seal hare does not make any seasonal long migrations. Basically, these animals are considered a settled species, although they move constantly over small distances. Depending on the area of habitat, they can move both actively and passively (on ice). On ice floes, they are usually located singly, in rare cases, their number reaches three individuals. A seal does not jump onto ice; In the autumn period, one can observe large coastal rookeries.
The sea hare preys on bottom and bottom animals, mainly at a depth of 60 meters. There are rare cases when seals descend to a depth of 150 meters. The diet depends on the habitat. More than 70 species of animals, including crustaceans, mollusks, worms, and various fish, become objects of nutrition for seals of this species. In most cases, the diet is mixed food.
Mating of adults occurs on ice floes after the lactation period. Pregnancy lasts almost a year. The puppy takes place from March to May. For those seals that live in the Sea of Okhotsk, it ends a month earlier, and in the Canadian archipelago and the Bering Sea - only in May. The newborn sea hare is covered with thick dark brown fur, which lasts no more than three weeks. The length of his body is 120 cm. Mother feeds the baby with her milk for only 4 weeks.
By nature, this species of seal is a pretty good-natured animal that does not show any aggression. Surprisingly, the males do not conflict even during the mating season.
