DJ Geribo

Among the many species of seals are the harbor, ringed, ribbon, spotted, and bearded seals. Also included are the northern fur seals and Steller sea lions that live in the Arctic region. The ringed, ribbon, spotted, and bearded seals are known as "ice seals" and live on sea ice in the Arctic for at least part of the year. The "ringed seal lifecycle relies on ice and rapid ice loss in the Arctic causes seal pups to be prematurely separated from their mothers during milking period and also creates a situation where the inablility to build dens for protection leads to high pup mortality."

Threats to the seal population include exposure to oil that can injure and kill seals. Since seals are the polar bears main source of food, and since polar bears need substantial amounts of fat to survive, the decreased population of seals would greatly impact the polar bear population that rely on them for survival.

And let's not forget the most common reason for wildlife decline: human greed. In the past, millions of seals were killed for their meat, blubber, and pelts. And in some countries large numbers are still killed because of the ignorance of fishermen who blame them for the decline in fish when in fact, their own over-fishing is to blame.