Editing Caspian seal (section)

==Description==
Adults are about {{cvt|126|–|129|cm|in|0}} in length.  Males are longer than females at an early age, but females experience more rapid growth until they reach ten years of age.  Males can grow gradually until they reach an age of about 30 or 40 years.<ref name=role>{{cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=Susan|last2=Eybatov|first2=Tariel|last3=Amano|first3=Masao|last4=Jepson|first4=Paul|last5=Goodman|first5=Simon|title=The Role of Canine Distemper Virus and Persistent Organic Pollutants in Mortality Patterns of Caspian Seals (''Pusa caspica'') |journal=PLOS ONE |date=2014 |volume=9 |issue=7 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0099265 |page=e99265 |pmid=24987857 |pmc=4079250 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...999265W|doi-access=free}}</ref>  Adults weigh around {{cvt|86|kg}}; males are generally larger and bulkier. Their [[dental formula]] is {{DentalFormula|upper=3.1.4.2|lower=2.1.4.1}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=marine_mammals&menuentry=soorten&id=61 |title=Marine Mammals of the World: Caspian seal (Phoca caspica)|author1=T.A. Jefferson |author2=S. Leatherwood |author3=M.A. Webber |work=species-identification.org |access-date=7 December 2022}}</ref>

The skull structure of the Caspian seal suggests it is closely related to the [[Baikal seal]]. In addition, the morphological structures in both species suggest they are descended from the [[ringed seal]] which migrated from larger bodies of water around two million years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Endo |first1=H. |last2=Sakata|first2=S.|last3=Arai|first3=T.|last4=Miyazaki|first4=N.|title=The Muscles of Mastication in the Caspian Seal (''Phoca caspica'') |journal= Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia |date=2001 |volume=31 |issue=5 |pages=262–265 |doi=10.1046/j.1439-0264.2002.00372.x|pmid=12484416|s2cid=30684638}}</ref>

Caspian seals 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. 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.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

One notable attribute of Caspian seals is its adaptation to a wide range of air temperatures and given the extreme climate of its habitat. Temperatures in the Caspian Sea range from -35&nbsp;°C in the winter months to +40&nbsp;°C in the summer, sitting at the southernmost limit for ice formation in winter with sub-tropical conditions for the rest of the year.<ref name=":0" /> In winter, and cooler parts of the spring and autumn season, the seals populate the Northern Caspian. In the first days of April, spring migration to the southern part of the Caspian Sea begins with mature female seals and their pups. Male mature seals stay in the northern Caspian Sea longer and wait until the moulting is completed.  In summer, seals find empty places in the western part of Apsheron for resting. In the eastern part, the most crowded place used to be the [[Ogurchinskiy Island]], but by 2001, fewer than 10 pups were recorded on Ogurchinsky, some of which were killed by people on the island.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}