Harbor Seals
SUBORDER          FAMILY           GENUS             SPECIES                  SUBSPECIES
Pinnipedia                 Phocidae             Phoca                 Vitulina                        Richardsi

 

 

 
Habitat: Rocky shores, estuaries,bays sandbars icebergs of the North Pacific coastlines of  North America. May congregate in groups of up to 100 seals occasionally including Elephant Seals and California Sea Lions. Harbor Seals enjoy family living but enjoy their own space more than other pinnepeds while resting.
Description:  150 to 250 pounds, 4 to 5 feet in length, male is larger than females, ear holes only
Color: Spotted or monochrome, silvery, black, brown or beige
Food source: Fish, mollusks and crustaceans
Pups: 20 to 24 lbs. at birth, spotted bluish-gray when born, able to swim shortly after being born
Voice: Adults have a harsh bark, pups' cry sounds like "Maaaaa!"
Life in the wild:  Thirty years is a common lifespan for Harbor Seals living in the wild.  Due to the fact that they have not been as extensively hunted for fur like Sea Otters and Fur and Harp Seals their population has remained more stable.  Most deaths other than natural causes result from shootings, fishing net entrapment and drowning or terminal sickness such as pnuemonia most likely due to immune system failure caused by the presence of toxins in fish and its environment.

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Dark pup enjoys a rest with the rookery

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Newborn pup showing vibrissae and ear holes

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