Bearded seal

The bearded seal is a whiskery Arctic dweller with a face full of curly, drooping whiskers that give it a scruffy appearance. It lives in the icy waters around the Arctic Ocean, where it uses its thick muzzle to hunt along the seafloor. Its scientific name hints at those signature facial hairs that bunch up like a messy beard.

• Its scientific name means 'bearded' due to its thick, drooping whiskers.
• When dry, the seal's whiskers curl into a distinctive scruffy tuft.
• It's nicknamed the 'square-flipper seal' for its distinctive paddle-like limbs.