Ross seal
Ommatophoca rossii Gray, 1844
The ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii) is a species in the family Phocidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 198 kg to 250 kg and live up to 21 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the ross seal
- Weight
- 198 kg – 250 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 21 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Piscivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 335 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 0.98src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 4 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.05src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Marinesrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the ross seal live?
Not recorded
What is 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.
From the Wikipedia article “Ross seal” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ross_seal&oldid=1384639886), 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 ross seal endangered?
The ross seal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the ross seal classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyPhocidae
- genusOmmatophoca
- SpeciesOmmatophoca rossii Gray, 1844
Synonyms Omatophoca rossii
Other names and names in other languages (20)
- Bigeyed sealEnglish
- Singing sealEnglish
- فقمة روسArabic
- tuleň RossůvCzech
- RossrobbeGerman
- Ross-RobbeGerman
- Φώκια του RossGreek
- Foca de RossSpanish
- kalmarihyljeFinnish
- Phoque de RossFrench
- Ross-fókaHungarian
- Foca di RossItalian
- ロスアザラシJapanese
- 로스해물범Korean
- RosselNorwegian Bokmål
- Ross' ZeehondDutch
- Foka RossaPolish
- Foczka małaPolish
- Foca-de-RossPortuguese
- Тюлень РоссаRussian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the ross seal
Other species in the same genus Ommatophoca.
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the ross seal?
An adult ross seal weighs 198 kg – 250 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the ross seal endangered?
The ross seal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the ross seal live?
The ross seal has a recorded lifespan of 21 years.
How long is the ross seal pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 335 days.
What kind of animal is the ross seal?
The ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ross-seal
“Ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/ross-seal.
@misc{ross_seal_2026,
title = {Ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/ross-seal},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}