Translation 2783

eed in trie southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk .and migrate into the
ShantarSkie Islands region for moultinp;.
After the ice melts the seals remain in the coastal zone, .
diSpersing ameng the estuarie- of. rivers in which fishes sp .I.Wn. In.
the early part of the Leason they do not form stable snore rookeries
in these districts, but in Auf2ust an September cohcentr: -,tions of the
animals are observed at definite points on the coast. The principal
sites of shore rookeries in the Sea of Okhotsk in. autumn are at Tigir,
from Penzhinskaya Bay to Tauinskaya Lay, and from the Shantarskie
Islands.to Sakhalinskii Bay, and the southern and central parts of
the Kurile chain; in the Bering Sea they are the reions of Karagin- -
Island, Olyutorskii Bay, and Ust'-Kamchatskii. The seals remain skii
in the shore rookeries until late autumn, when ice-floes appear; .
they stay among the latter throughout their ice-dwelling period.
7 8
then
In the northern parts of the Bering Sea and the ea of Okhotsk
pupPing takes place mostly in late March and Aprill . in .more southerly •
parts of the range it takes place in rebruary. The largas' pUpping
rookeries.are.formed both - on the edge of the ice and deep within the
ice-fields. Usually the . seals avoid heavy unbroken ice masses and
keep to places where there are patches of open water and crevasses.
The females produce their young on smooth ice with few hummocks.
males stay with the females and pups during the whole pupping period. •
Such familles are . often observed on the ice. The lareas do not form
dense concentrations, the females remaining at distances of 1007200
metres from one another.. .The reokeries occupy large areas of ice.
The duiation of the lactation period has not been precisely
determined; it is believedthat the female suckles her young for three.
or four weeks.
As with other seal species, the larga pups rapidly
accumulate a subcutaneous blubber layer during the period of ihilkfeeding,
and they weigh 27-32 kg at the age of 10-12 days. isioulting
of the embryonic fur by the pups takes place at tne - age of about one
month, and the puis usually do not take to tne water until the moult
is comnleted. They enter on an:independent mode of life at the end
of the lactation and moulting periods; the mating period of the aaults
(the duration of which hi,u, not been determined, tnen beiçins.
of the females. nogin to Lake an active part in reproeuction at the
a;:o of i'eur or :Ivc years, nfl ti10 MalCij :.omowhat later, at tne age
of five or sly yiart3. tentation instil - about 11 nohLns.
The
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