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Harp Seals
The harp seal, Phoca groenlandica(meaning greenland seal) was once placed in it's own genus Pagophilus from the greek word "snow-loving". Harp seals are mammels, animals that give birth to live babies and feed them milk.
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Harp seals will eat a wide variety of fish, such as arctic cod, capelin, polar cod, and herring. Harp seals diet varies though as they get older,during different times of year, and their location. Adults also will eat squid if all else fails.
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When a harp seal pup is born they are called yellow coats because of their fur's yellow tint. At that age they weigh about 22 lbs. By the time they are 2 weeks seal pups weigh about 65 lbs. After about two days the pups loose their yellow tint. Their fur is now the purest form of white. Though other types of seals are white the harp seal is the only one to be called a white coat. Molting starts when they are less than two weeks old. A coarse silver-gray and black spotted fur will replace the white. Pups are known as ragged-jackets during this process. When harp seals are finished molting they are named beaters. At the age of 1 beaters molt and become bedlamers. Finally after 3-7 years bedlamers turn into adults.
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The gestation period for harp seals is about seven months but in some mysterious way can be delayed if the mother can't find any ice to give birth on. If pups are born at sea they will quickly drown. Even though harp seals are sociable each female has her own territory on the ice while giving birth. Once she finds a spot on the ice that she likes the pup will be born. When born the pups vioce and smell become fixed in the mothers mind, so she can identify her pup at nursing time since there are hundreds of other mothers and pups on the ice.
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Harp seals have a number of natural enemies which consist of orcas, polar bears, and sharks. Eskimos too hunt seals for food. But the most threatening enemy of all are sealers. Sealers hunt harp seals soon after they are born because of the beautiful color of their fur. Harp seals though are also hunted for their blubber which sealers sell for large amounts of money. Many laws have been enforced to protect seals but sealers are still selling the blubber and the fur of harp seals to this very day. If new ways to protect these magnificent sea mammels they will soon be extinct.
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Harp seals are found in the waters of Russia, Greenland, the eastern coast of Canada, and in the northern parts of Hudson Bay. They do migrate though in the fall to escape freezing temperatures in the winter and travel back to their homeland to breed during spring.
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