Local hunters in the icefjord near Ilulissat are very familiar with a special species of ringed seal, known as the "Kangia seal". Compared with the common Arctic ringed seal, the Kangia seal is different in size and appearance. It is much larger and has significantly different coat colors and patterns. The latest scientific research shows that this distinctive seal has been genetically isolated from its Arctic cousins ​​for a long time, spanning more than 100,000 years.

This scientific study uses satellite transmitters, population counts and DNA analysis of tissue samples to describe the unique Kongia ringed seal in the Ilulissat Icefjord. In the picture, a seal has just had a satellite transmitter installed on its back. Image credit: Pinngortitaleriffik - Greenland Institute for Nature Research

Exploring the natural wonders of the Arctic can be difficult, with extreme weather and vast distances often preventing researchers from uncovering nature's mysteries.

However, a research project led by Greenlandic and Danish researchers has now successfully described a new species of ringed seal living in an icefjord near Ilulissat, West Greenland; a unique natural area on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The findings were recently published in the prestigious scientific journal Molecular Ecology.

Kangia ringed seals are larger than typical Arctic ringed seals, with a different color of fur and more unique patterns. Image credit: Pinngortitaleriffik - Greenland Institute for Nature Research

For years, researchers worked with local hunters to capture seals in nets and attach a small satellite transmitter to the seals' backs. When seals surface, satellite transmitters send out information about their location.

"We could see that Condia seals mainly stay within the ice fjords," said Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid, a senior researcher at the Greenland Institute for Nature Research and one of the researchers behind the study. "We were able to count the seals from the aircraft and were able to estimate that there are only about 3,000 of this particular Condia ringed seal population."

Fur color and pattern of a Kangia ringed seal (left) and a typical Arctic ringed seal (right). Source: Pinngortitaleriffik - Greenland Institute for Nature Research

Kangia ringed seals have very small resident populations compared to typical Arctic ringed seals, which have large populations and often travel thousands of kilometers across the Arctic in search of food.

The researchers also collected small tissue samples from captured seals. The samples were sent for genetic analysis to reveal the seal's DNA signature, and the results revealed that the Congia ringed seal's genes are different from those of typical Arctic ringed seals.

Kangia ringed seals live in the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its majestic and unique natural beauty. Image credit: Pinngortitaleriffik - Greenland Institute for Nature Research

But where and how the Kangia ringed seal separated from other Arctic ringed seals and why it acquired its new and special biological characteristics remains a mystery. Perhaps other Arctic fjords also have special seals.

The study highlights how much we still don't know about the diversity of Arctic organisms and their potential to adapt to climate change and human activities.

Rune Dietz, a professor at the Department of Ecological Sciences at Aarhus University who participated in the study, pointed out: "There are many other fjords in the Arctic that have not been studied in detail, and ringed seals may also have developed new genetic variants locally."

Compiled source: ScitechDaily