Pusa [SEP] parent taxon
Pusa
Pusa is a genus of the earless seals, within the family Phocidae. The three species of this genus were split from the genus "Phoca", and some sources still give "Phoca" as an acceptable synonym for "Pusa".
The three species in this genus are found in Arctic and subarctic regions, as well as around the Caspian Sea. This includes these countries and regions: Russia, Scandinavia, Britain, Greenland, Canada, the United States, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Japan
the genus is unclear, and it has formerly been used as wastebasket taxon for a number of fossils of uncertain affinity.
Species.
Currently there are two members:
Former members of "Phoca":
- "Histriophoca fasciata" (ribbon seal)
- "Pusa caspica" (Caspian seal)
- "Pusa hispida" (ringed seal)
- "Pusa sibirica" (nerpa or Baikal seal)
- "Pagophilus groenlandica" (harp seal)
Mating ecology.
Both harbour