The Ross seal is the rarest of the four seal species breeding on the Antarctic pack ice, and one population estimate has been made of about 220,000. The greatest abundance of Ross seals appears to be in the Ross and King Haakon VII Seas. Wandering seals have been reported north of 60°S only on very rare occasions. Named after the British explorer who obtained the first specimen, less is known about the Ross seal than any of the other Antarctic seals. The species is mostly found on the pack ice around the Antarctic continent, with a wide but dispersed circumpolar distribution. It is very difficult to determine how many of the species there actually are. (Source: Seal conservation society)