On the Relationship of Weight, Length and Girth of the Ringed Seal (<i>Pusa hispida</i>) of the Canadian Arctic

Abstract

Analyzes the relationships between the standard length, max girth, axillary girth and blubber thickness of 73 ringed seals, 71 of them taken at Sachs Harbour, Aug-Sept 1966. Data for the 61 seals from SW Baffin Island first studied by MacLaren, No 53026, are reanalyzed to determine which relationships give the most reliable prediction of weight. A formula using length and max girth as factors is the most precise, and the best single indicator is girth. Tables showing the relationship between weight, length and girth, as derived from two of the six formulas presented are given supra.