Harbor seal

"Common seal" redirects here. For the common seal of a company, see Company seal.

Harbor seal
A harbor seal off Lismore, Scotland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Clade: Pinnipedia
Family: Phocidae
Genus: Phoca
Species:
P. vitulina
Binomial name
Phoca vitulina
Subspecies

P. vitulina concolor (DeKay, 1842)
P. vitulina mellonae (Doutt, 1942)
P. vitulina richardsi (Gray, 1864)
P. vitulina stejnegeri (J. A. Allen, 1902)
P. vitulina vitulina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Range of Phoca vitulina

The harbor (or harbour) seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared seals, and true seals), they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Baltic and North seas.

Harbor seals are brown, silvery white, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. An adult can attain a length of 1.85 m (6.1 ft) and a mass of up to 168 kg (370 lb). Blubber under the seal's skin helps to maintain body temperature. Females outlive males (30–35 years versus 20–25 years). Harbor seals stick to familiar resting spots or haulout sites, generally rocky areas (although ice, sand, and mud may also be used) where they are protected from adverse weather conditions and predation, near a foraging area. Males may fight over mates under water and on land. Females bear a single pup after a nine-month gestation, which they care for alone. Pups can weigh up to 16 kg (35 lb) and are able to swim and dive within hours of birth. They develop quickly on their mothers' fat-rich milk, and are weaned after four to six weeks.

The global population of harbor seals is 350,000–500,000, but the freshwater subspecies Ungava seal in Northern Quebec is endangered.[1] Once a common practice, sealing is now illegal in many nations within the animal's range.

  1. ^ a b Lowry, L. (2016). "Phoca vitulina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T17013A45229114. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T17013A45229114.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Linnæus, Carl (1758). Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I (in Latin) (10th ed.). Holmiæ (Stockholm): Laurentius Salvius. p. 38. Retrieved 23 November 2012.