CreatureData

Ribbon seal

Histriophoca fasciata (Zimmermann, 1783)

LCLeast Concernmammals

The ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata) is a species in the family Phocidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 68.3 kg to 90 kg and live up to 26.5 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata)
Photo: Michael Cameron, NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC/NMML · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the ribbon seal

Weight
68.3 kg – 90 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
26.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
31 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
299 days – 335 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
3 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.05src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Marinesrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the ribbon seal live?

Not recorded

What is the ribbon seal?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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 Sea of Okhotsk. It is distinguished by its striking coloration, with two wide white strips and two white circles against dark brown or black fur.

It is the only living species in the genus Histriophoca; a possible fossil species, H. alekseevi, has been described from the Miocene of Moldova.

From the Wikipedia article “Ribbon seal” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ribbon_seal&oldid=1380371148), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the ribbon seal endangered?

The ribbon seal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the ribbon seal classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderCarnivora
  5. familyPhocidae
  6. genusHistriophoca
  7. SpeciesHistriophoca fasciata (Zimmermann, 1783)

Synonyms Phoca equestris, Phoca fasciata

Other names and names in other languages (26)
  • فقمة مخططةArabic
  • tuleň pruhovanýCzech
  • BandrobbeGerman
  • Ταινιοφόρος ΦώκιαGreek
  • foca franjeadaSpanish
  • VööthüljesEstonian
  • juovahyljeFinnish
  • Phoque anneléFrench
  • Phoque rubanéFrench
  • Phoque rubannéFrench
  • Szalagos fókaHungarian
  • Foca fasciataItalian
  • クラカケアザラシJapanese
  • 리본물범Korean
  • 띠무늬물범Korean
  • HarlekinselNorwegian Bokmål
  • BandrobDutch
  • kajgulik pręgowanyPolish
  • Foca-ListradaPortuguese
  • Foca-de-bandasPortuguese
  • КрылаткаRussian
  • Полосатый тюленьRussian
  • BandsälSwedish
  • Bantlı FokTurkish
  • Çizgili fokTurkish
  • КрилаткаUkrainian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the ribbon seal

Other species in the same family Phocidae.

LC, Least Concern
Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus)

Grey seal

Halichoerus grypus

Phocidae

CompareRibbon seal vs Harbor sealRibbon seal vs Grey sealRibbon seal vs Leopard sealRibbon seal vs Mediterranean monk seal

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the ribbon seal?

An adult ribbon seal weighs 68.3 kg – 90 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the ribbon seal endangered?

The ribbon seal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the ribbon seal live?

The ribbon seal has a recorded lifespan of 26.5 years.

How long is the ribbon seal pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 299 days – 335 days.

What kind of animal is the ribbon seal?

The ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata) belongs to the family Phocidae in the order Carnivora.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ribbon-seal

MLA

“Ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/ribbon-seal.

BibTeX
@misc{ribbon_seal_2026,
  title = {Ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/ribbon-seal},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}