Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina richardii
Physical Description
- Small, round marine mammals covered in fur, with short, doglike snouts and long whiskers.
- Spotted coats of white, silver, gray, black, dark brown, or reddish color.
- Adults reach a length of 5-6 feet, and weight up to 300 pounds.
- No external ear flaps, unlike sea lions. Instead just an external hole.
- Small flippers, so must move on land by flopping along on their bellies.
- Males are slightly larger than females.
Range
- North of the equator in both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
- From Northern Japan, across to Alaska, down to Baja California, Mexico.
- All along the Atlantic coast, from Georgia around to Spain.
Habitat
- Nearshore coastal waters.
- Rocky islands, sandy beaches, mudflats, bays, and estuaries.
- They are often seen sunbathing at the Children’s Pool beach in La Jolla.
Reproduction
- Harbor seals reach maturity at 3-7 years old.
- They mate in the winter and pups are born in the spring and summer, depending on location.
- Females are pregnant for ten months.
- Harbor seal pups weigh 24 pounds and can swim at birth.
- Mothers raise their pups in large groups, called nurseries, to protect them from predators.
- They are nursed for 4-6 weeks on milk that is 50% fat.
Diet
- Sole, flounder, sculpin, hake, cod, herring, octopus, squid.
Predators
- Killer whales, sharks, bears, coyotes, foxes, large birds, and Steller sea lions.
- Sea otters can drown harbor seal pups.
Interesting Facts
- A harbor seal pup can already swim at birth but will ride on its mom’s back when tired. Pups also make a bleating noise that sounds like “maaaa.”.
- Harbor seals can dive up to 1,500 feet for 40 minutes at a time, although they normally dive more shallowly for 3-7 minutes..
- Harbor seals normally live in small numbers, but can live in groups of up to 500 seals..
- Harbor seals can sleep underwater!
Sources: Marine Mammal Center; NOAA Fisheries; Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Photo: Howard Hall