That is an exciting addition! Any idea where these are likely to have come from? Wild or captive-bred?
I have seen in the 2014 news thread that these seals have come from Polaria in Norway. Oceanopolis Brest definitely has the most impressive collection of Arctic pinnipeds in Europe!
They do indeed! I think this collection is the only chance, slight though it may be, for Baikal Seal to return to European collections.
Another very nice species that would be very welcome back in Europe I suspect. I guess you missed the last individual at Leipzig? It was rather awesome...
I'm sure they will make it back in time. Are there any in Japan or China? Imports from there may be feasible.
I believe the only ones remaining in captivity are in Russian collections, sad to say Would not sting quite as much were it not for the fact they were held in a rather large and young group at Twycross, until a viral infection killed the whole group of 5 or 6 animals in 1998..... had this not happened there is a reasonable chance the species might still have been around.
That's very sad indeed Had they been breeding there? As a slight consolation - Chlidonias hasn't seen a (live) Baikal Seal either!
I do not believe so, but I know all the animals involved were relatively young and thus breeding was not out of the question. I am certain that having missed out on seeing a living Baikal seal stings Chli rather more than it does myself, considering he missed them by a much narrower thread.
Baikal Seals are common in Japanese aquariums-they even breed at some places. I'm not sure, if Bearded seals ever were bred in in human care.
There are still two Bearded seals at Polaria(Tromsö)- the three Brest animals are from PRIMORSKY AQUARIUM, Vladivostok.
Am curious: is Brest housing the bearded seals with ringed seals and/or other species of seals, or separately?
As far as I know there are two ringed seals, one harp seal and three bearded seals together in one enclosure. What a remarkable collection!
A Zebra Shark has been born in the Tropical Pavilion of Océanopolis. The youngster measures 28 cm., with a weight of 120 g. It is the offspring of a breeding pair which produced their first young in 2013.