Breeding habitat and lair structure of the ringed seal (Phoca hispida ladogensis) in northern Lake Ladoga in Russia |
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Authors: | Mervi Kunnasranta Heikki Hyvärinen Tero Sipilä Nikolai Medvedev |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Joensuu, P.O. Box 111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland e-mail: Mervi.Kunnasranta@joensuu.fi Tel.: +358-13-2514532, Fax: +358-13-2513590, FI;(2) Finnish Forest and Park Service, Natural Heritage Services, Akselinkatu 8, 57131 Savonlinna, Finland, FI;(3) Forest Research Institute, Pushkinskaja street 11, 185610 Petrozavodsk, Russia, RU |
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Abstract: | The breeding habitat and lair structures of the ringed seal (Phoca hispida ladogensis) were studied by snowmobile expeditions in northern Lake Ladoga, Russia, during 1996 to 1999. Mostly flat ice and no large
pack ice existed in northern Lake Ladoga during this study. All birth lairs and 88% of haul-out lairs were located in snowdrifts
in the shorelines of islands or islets and 12% of the haul-out lairs occurred in pressured ice ridges. Some large haul-out
lairs had been used communally by the seals. A total of 15% of the lairs observed had been attacked or marked by red fox (Vulpes vulpes), wolf (Canis lupus) or unidentified canines. The colour of the lanugo fur of the Ladoga ringed seal pup appeared to be dark grey. We conclude
that the northern part of Lake Ladoga is an active breeding area for the ringed seal, which attests conservation needs for
this area.
Accepted: 18 September 2000 |
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