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  3. Harbor Seal

One of the 13 seals on WAnimals

Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina)

Mammals · Carnivora · Phocidae

Harbor Seal

Phoca vitulina

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.

Spotted something wrong?

Pups can swim and haul out on land within an hour of being born, and many are born already in the adult coat rather than the woolly prenatal one.

Weight

45 kg – 170 kg

Size

1.2 m – 1.9 m

Life expectancy

30 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Ocean
19countries18parks31dive sites14same family1featured routes

AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.

Fun facts

  • That is a crucial adaptation for a species that gives birth on exposed intertidal ground.
  • It feeds on fish and a variety of marine invertebrates.
  • It lives on the temperate and Arctic coasts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat and environment
Temperate and Arctic coasts of the Northern Hemisphere
Birth weight
8-12 kg and 70-100 cm long at birth
Size at birth
8-12 kg and 70-100 cm at birth
Sexual maturity
Female: 3-4 years (physically 6-7) | Male: 4-5 years (physically 7-9)
Gestation / incubation
9-11 months, with ~11 weeks of delayed implantation (about 8.5 months of active foetal development)
Litter / clutch size
1 young per birth
Life expectancy in captivity
Documented record of up to 47.6 years

Sources consulted: MarineBio; Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Virginia Aquarium; AnimalHub; Ocean Connections; SeaWorld/United Parks

Where to find it

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Where to see it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 20 of 49.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Harbor Seal — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

Same taxonomic family
Same taxonomic family
Same taxonomic family
Same taxonomic family
Same taxonomic family
Same taxonomic family

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about harbor seal.

Comments

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See full glossary
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The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.

See its range on the interactive map→
VatnajokullIceland
RedwoodUnited States
AcadiaUnited States
OlympicUnited States
Glacier BayUnited States
Channel IslandsUnited States
FundyCanada
Pacific RimCanada
Gwaii HaanasCanada
Wadden Sea National ParkDenmark
Channel Islands National ParkUnited States
La Jolla CoveUnited States
Scapa FlowUnited Kingdom
Farne IslandsUnited Kingdom
Lofoten (orcas)Norway
SaltstraumenNorway
Browning Pass (Vancouver Island)Canada
HMCS Nanaimo WreckCanada
Monterey Bay (Point Lobos)United States
Puget Sound (giant Pacific octopus)United States
See all 18 parks
See all 31 dive sites
Least Concern

Harp Seal

Pagophilus groenlandicus

Northern Elephant SealLeast Concern

Northern Elephant Seal

Mirounga angustirostris

Grey SealLeast Concern

Grey Seal

Halichoerus grypus

Vulnerable

Hooded Seal

Cystophora cristata

Least Concern

Spotted Seal

Phoca largha

Bearded SealLeast Concern

Bearded Seal

Erignathus barbatus

CountriesUnited States
ParksVatnajokullIceland
TagsCarnivore
Carnivore
Variable activity
Solitary
Ocean
Mammal

Europe16

North America3

United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Germany
Norway
Iceland
Belgium
Denmark
Estonia
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Latvia
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Netherlands
Norway
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United Kingdom
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