Caspian seal
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Pinnipedia
Family:	Phocidae
Genus:	Pusa
Species:	P. caspica
Binomial name
Pusa caspica (Gmelin, 1788)
Caspian seal range
Synonyms
Phoca caspica

The Caspian seal (Pusa caspica) is one of the smallest members of the earless seal family and unique in that it is found exclusively in the brackish Caspian Sea. They can be found not only along the shorelines, but also on the many rocky islands and floating blocks of ice that dot the Caspian Sea. In winter, and cooler parts of the spring and autumn season, these marine mammals populate the Northern Caspian. As the ice melts in the warmer season, they can be found on the mouths of the Volga and Ural Rivers, as well as the southern latitudes of the Caspian where cooler waters can be found due to greater depth.

It is so-far unclear as to how these seals became isolated in the landlocked Caspian Sea. One of the most widely known hypotheses argues that the seals reached the Caspian during the Quaternary period from the north when continental ice sheets melted, and are descended from the ringed seal.

Description[link]

Adults are approximately 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in length and weigh around 86 kilograms (190 lb); males are generally larger and bulkier. Their dental formula is I 3/2, R 1/1, PC 6/5.

Caspian seals are shallow divers, with diving depths typically reaching 50 meters and lasting about a minute, although deeper and longer depths have been recorded. They are gregarious, spending most of their time in large colonies.

After an 11 month gestation period, the single pups are born in January and February. Similar to other ringed seals, these pups are born with white pelage and weigh about 5 kilograms. Their white coat is molted at around three weeks to a month. Sexual maturity is reached at 5 years for females, and about 6 or 7 years for males.

Prey and predators[link]

Caspian seals feed on cyprinids, gobies, and crustaceans. The seals may enter river estuaries to eat carp, roach and pike-perch.

Sea eagles are known to hunt these seals, which results in a high number of fatalities for the juveniles. They are also hunted by humans for subsistence and commerce. Due to the increasing industrial development in the surrounding region, pollutants and pesticides have entered the Caspian and caused significant habitat problems, weakened immune systems and contributed to disease outbreaks.

In a three week period in February 1978, wolves were responsible for the wanton killing of numerous seals near Astrakhan. Between 17-40% of the seals in the area were estimated to have been killed, but not eaten.^[2]

Since the late 1990s, there have been several cases of many Caspian seals dying due to canine distemper virus.

A century ago there were an estimated 1.5 million seals; by the 1980s, there were about 400,000.[1]

References[link]

• Jukka Palo: Genetic diversity and phylogeography of landlocked seals
• OBIS-SEAMAP - Species Profiles

External links[link]

• Caspian seal factsheet at pinnipeds.org
• "Caspian Seal under threat of extinction", Baztab newspaper. Persian article.

The Shore is an American rock group founded in Silver Lake, CA by frontman Ben Ashley. The Shore are heavily influenced by psychedelic bands like The Byrds, The Beatles, Coldplay,^[1] and The Beach Boys as well as Britpop groups Oasis and The Verve.

Biography[link]

In the spring of 2002, Ashley wrote a series of songs with producer Rick Parker. Parker assembled a group of local musicians, including Kyle Mullarky (bass), Cliff Magreta (guitar), and John Wilmer (drums), to record a series of demos. The demos came to Scott Austin, a Maverick A&R Executive, and the band was given a major contract only a few months after their initial recordings. The Shore returned to the studio with Parker to record their first album. The Shore recorded the album over a period of three months. The Shore EP was released on New Year's Day of 2003. Their full length album, The Shore, was released in August 2004.^[2] After guitarist Wayne Faler toured with the band, he was added as a permanent member in December 2005. It was about this time that The Shore parted ways with Maverick Records to pursue a better record deal.

The Shore released their second album, "Light Years," in October 2009 initially as a digital-only release on outlets such as Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody and a few other sites. A CD version was released the following year.

The band has also recently resumed touring, playing San Francisco and LA, most notably with another psych outfit, The Parties.

The Shore's song "Coming Down" was featured on the Long Way Round soundtrack, a documentary detailing the journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles.

Style[link]

Filter magazine describes the band as having "rock solid songwriting" and credits it with a "passionate commitment to music."^[1] According to Spartan Daily, "the band portrays a very neo-psychedelic pop sound and mixes it up with lush keyboards to have a modern sound."^[3]

Discography[link]

Singles and EPs[link]

• 2003 - The Shore EP (Maverick)

Albums[link]

• 2004 - The Shore (Maverick)
• 2011 - Light Years (The New Black Records)

References[link]

External links[link]

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External links[link]

• Official website
• Facebook page
• Myspace page