Harp Seal
Harp seal pups may be the cutest baby animals on the planet! Photo by Sunvincible / iStock.com.
Harp seals get their name from a dark patch on their back that looks like a harp.
But you might be more familiar with their adorable offspring. With their fluffy white hair and round black eyes, harp seal pups may be the cutest baby animals on the planet!
Adult harp seals weigh about 135 kg (300 lb.) and measure between 1.6-1.8 m (5.25-6.25 ft.).
They have light gray fur with a dark mask on their face. Though named for the harp-shaped patch on their backs, some female harp seals never develop the large patch and just have smaller dark spots.
Harp seals are named for the harp-shaped patch on their backs (as seen here), though some female harp seals never develop the large patch and just have smaller dark spots. Photo by AGAMI stock / iStock.com.
Harp seals are a kind of pinniped, a group of marine mammals that includes seals, fur seals, sea lions, and walruses.
Like all true seals, harp seals have ear holes but no external ear flaps. They have short flippers with claws at the ends.
Three Populations
Inhabiting the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, harp seals typically can be found in coastal waters near ice floes (large sheets of ice). There are three distinct populations of harp seals in the Barents Sea, the East Coast of Greenland, and the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.
All three populations have their own breeding grounds and migratory routes. But in general, harp seals migrate north in the summer and then head back south toward their breeding grounds in September.
How Harp Seals Move
On the ice, harp seals move using their bellies in a caterpillar-like motion.
But they spend most of the time in the water, where they move with ease. They are excellent swimmers and use their back flippers to propel themselves forward.
Harp seals can dive as deep as 700 m (2300 ft.) and can stay underwater for 15 minutes!
Pair of adult harp seals on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean near Greenland. Photo by QueGar3 / iStock.com.
What Harp Seals Eat
Harp seals eat many different species of fish, including polar cod, halibut, Arctic cod, and capelin. They also feed on a variety of crustaceans.
Harp Seal Reproduction
Several thousand harp seals reach their breeding grounds in January-February. A group of harp seals is called a colony or rookery.
Male harp seals battle for mates by hitting each other with their flippers and biting each other with their sharp teeth. They also perform courtship displays to attract females’ attention, which include blowing bubbles, making pawing gestures, and chasing them.
Female harp seals have a gestation period of about 11 months. They give birth on the pack ice in late February through mid-March.
Mother harp seal and pup on Magdalena Island, Canada. Photo by slowmotiongli / iStock.com.
Newborn pups have yellow fur and weigh about 11 kg (25 lb.). They have no fat at birth, but they rapidly gain blubber though nursing on their mothers’ high-fat milk.
After two days, their fur becomes white. This light, fluffy coat helps keep them warm and camouflages the helpless pups against the white ice.
Harp seals spend the first 12 days of their life nursing and learning from their mothers. Their mothers will call to them from the water and encourage them to jump in so they can teach the pups to swim.
Mother harp seals recognize their pup by their scent. The mother and pup will bring their noses close together in a “kiss”.
Baby harp seal pup on ice of the White Sea. Photo by zanskar / iStock.com.
After 12 days, the mothers leave the pups on their own. At that point, the pups weigh 36 kg (80 lb.). For the next four weeks, the pups wait for their white fur to completely molt, giving way to their sleek gray coats.
Once this happens, they’re ready to enter the water and hunt on their own. They may lose up to half their body weight during this waiting period.
Harp seals live about 30 years in the wild. Predators include polar bears, killer whales, sharks, and walruses.
Conservation Status
The IUCN Red List classifies harp seals as a species of least concern. Although there are 4.5 million harp seals in the wild, they do face threats. Some of these threats include commercial hunting, collisions with ships, getting tangled in nets, and pollution.
Another major threat is climate change. Harp seals rely on pack ice for birthing pups. If temperatures rise, it can cause the ice to break up early, before the pups are ready to swim for long periods of time, and they will drown.
What You Can Do to Help
You can report any harp seals that you see injured, stranded or caught in nets. Call an organization that rescues and rehabilitates marine life. Do not approach the animal yourself.
Harp Seal Range
Inhabiting the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, harp seals typically can be found in coastal waters near ice floes. There are three distinct populations of harp seals in the Barents Sea, the East Coast of Greenland, and the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.
More Harp Seal Resources- NOAA Fisheries Harp Seal page
- National Geographic’s Harp Seal page
- Ocean Conservancy’s Harp Seal page
- Seal Conservation Society’s Harp Seal page
- Adey, Jane. “How far can a young seal swim? Scientists aim to find out.” CBC News
- VIDEO: “Baby Harp Seal Learns to Swim.” Frozen Planet II. BBC America
- VIDEO: “For Harp Seal Pups, Survival Depends on Its First Ten Days.” The Big Freeze. National Geographic
Common Name(s): Harp Seal
Scientific Name: Pagophilus groenlandicus
Animal Type: mammal
Size: 1.6-1.8 m (5.25-6.25 ft.) long
Weight: 135 kg (300 lb.)
Lifespan: 30 years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
About the AuthorAbi Cushman is a contributing editor of Animal Fact Guide and My House Rabbit. When she's not writing about weird animal facts, Abi writes and illustrates funny books for kids. Her picture books, Soaked! and Animals Go Vroom! , are available now from Viking Children's Books.
To learn more and to download free activity sheets, visit www.abicushman.com. Follow her on Instagram at @Abi.Cushman.
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