The distribution of hauled-out ringed seals and an interpretation of Taylor's law.

The sizes of the groups in which ringed seals (Phoca hispida) haul out were studied from aerial survey data from a wide area of the Canadian Arctic. Densities of hauled-out ringed seals varied over a wide range, but the mean group size was comparatively constant. Ringed seal distribution data obeyed Taylor's law of variation; about half the increase in aggregation with density was due to change in group size, and half to increasingly clumpy distribution of groups.