Editing Caspian seal (section)

==Diet==
Caspian seals are primarily [[piscivorous]]. They eat a variety of food depending on season and availability. A typical diet for Caspian seals found in the northern Caspian sea consists of crustaceans and various fish species, such as ''[[Clupeonella engrauliformis]]'', ''[[Southern Caspian sprat|C. grimmi]]'', ''[[Caspian tyulka|C. caspia]]'', [[Gobiidae]], ''[[Rutilus caspicus]]'', ''[[Big-scale sand smelt|Atherina boyeri]]'', and ''[[Sander lucioperca]]''. Caspian seal adults eat about {{cvt|2|–|3|kg|lb|0}} of fish a day and almost a metric ton of fish per year.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Khuraskin |first1=L. |last2=Pochotoyeva|first2=N. |title=Status of the Caspian Seal Population |journal=Caspian Environment Program |date=1997|pages=86–94}}</ref>

In autumn and winter, Caspian seals prey mostly on [[sculpin]]s, [[Gobiidae|gobies]], and crustaceans while inhabiting shallow waters in the northern part of the sea.  During the summer, in the southern part of the Caspian Sea, they eat [[herring]], roach, [[carp]], sprat, and smelt. When Caspian seals live in estuaries, they eat large amounts of the freshwater species, ''Sander lucioperca''. Other prey include shrimp, crab, and silversides.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Grimeks|first1=B. |title=Grimeks Encyclopedia of Mammals|date=1990|publisher=McGraw-Hill |location=New Jersey|pages=220–238|edition=Second}}</ref>

Being one of the top predators in the ecosystem, Caspian seals had hazardous chemicals found inside their bodies such as [[heavy metals]], [[organochlorine compound]]s, and [[radionuclides]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ikemoto|first1=T. |last2=Kunito |first2=T. |last3=Watanabe |first3=I. |last4=Yasunaga |first4=G. |last5=Baba |first5=N. |last6=Miyazaki|first6=N. |last7=Petrov|first7=E. A.|last8=Tanabe|first8=S. |title=Comparison of trace element accumulation in Baikal seals (''Pusa sibirica''), Caspian seals (''Pusa caspica'') and northern fur seals (''Callorhinus ursinus'')|journal=Environmental Pollution |date=2004 |volume=127|issue=1|pages=83–97 |pmid=14553998|doi=10.1016/s0269-7491(03)00251-3|bibcode=2004EPoll.127...83I }}</ref>