Common Name: Hooded Seal
Scientific Name: Cystophora cristata
Habitat: Aquatic in cold, deep salt waters.
Diet: Piscivorous (fish).
Interesting Facts:
This species is known to wander south of its typical Arctic Ocean habitat and has been sighted several times in the Delaware River. In 1951, a female was taken from the Delaware River near Bristol, Philadelphia County. It was sent to the Section of Mammals by the curator of mammals at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. It is preserved as a skin, skull, and body skeleton in our research collection.