Meet the Flipper Feet! Pinnipeds of the Arctic, Part 2

Part 1 (check out our recording, if you missed it) featured an overview of Arctic “pinnipeds,” the fin-footed amphibious mammals of the far north that include seals and walruses (sea lions are also pinnipeds, found farther south.) Join us for Part 2 with Expedition Leader Kristina Disney, currently pursuing a master’s degree in Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria in BC. Kristina’s previous webinar covered the ingenious adaptations pinnipeds have devised to thrive in the Arctic marine environment and their important role in the food chain. This time, she takes a closer look at five individual species of Arctic pinniped—ringed, bearded, hooded and ribbon seals, plus walruses—and challenges to their future health and conservation. Climate change obviously affects the extent and longevity of sea ice, but it also hastens other impacts, such as expanded Arctic shipping lanes, which have an adverse effect on pinnipeds and other marine life and can be a vector for invasive species. Kristina also shares the Inuit creation story of all marine mammals in the Arctic and how we as humans are called to interact with them.


Originally presented September 21, 2021

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