Term
| Describe the habitat of the Harbor Seal. |
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Definition
| Harbor Seals inhabit shallow areas of estuaries, rivers and places where sandbars and beaches are uncovered at low tides through out the temperate, subarctic and arctic waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. |
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Term
| Describe the fore flippers of a Harbor Seal. |
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Definition
| A Harbor Seals' front flippers or pectoral flippers have the same bone structure as the fore limbs of land mammals. A harbor seals' front flippers are short, webbed and covered with hair. They have 5 digits of about equal length with claws used for scratching, grooming, and defense. |
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Term
| Describe the hind flippers of a Harbor Seal. |
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Definition
| The hind flippers of a Harbor Seal have the same bone structure of the hind limbs of land mammals. They have 5 digits with the first and last digits being longer and stouter than the middle digits. The digits of the hind flippers are webbed and when spread the hind flipper looks like a wide fan. Like the front flippers, the hind flippers have claws and are covered with hair. |
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Term
| Explain the molt of a Harbor Seal. |
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Definition
| Harbor seal molt (shed their hair) each year after the breeding season. They gradually lose their hair in patches. Molting usually last 1 to 2 months. Females molt after pups are weaned. It has been observed that Harbor Seals decrease their food intake during molting. |
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Term
| Why do seals and sea lions have a "tear rimmed" look around their eyes when they are out of the water? |
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Definition
| Mucus continually washes over the eyes to protect them. Unlike most land mammals, pinnipeds lack a duct to drain eye fluids into the nasal passages. When a pinniped is out of the water, mucus surrounding the eyes gives them a wet "tear-rimmed" look. |
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Term
| How do Harbor Seal use vibrissae in the water? |
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Definition
| A Harbor Seal uses its sensitive vibrissae to find food, especially in the dark, deep water or at night. Each vibrissae can move independently. Under water the harbor seal thrusts its vibrissae to and fro in a sweeping motion by thrusting its mobile upper lip in and out. Prey moving under water creates vibrations that the seal can detect with the vibrissae. |
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Term
| How long can an adult Harbor Seal stay submerged under the water? Do they always stay submerged that long? |
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Definition
| Adult Harbor Seals can stay submerged for up to 30 minutes, but dive usually last only about 3 minutes. |
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Term
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Definition
| In the water, Harbor Seals sleep at the surface with their body submerged and their head remaining just above the surface so they can breathe. |
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Term
| When hauled out on land, how does the congregation of Harbor Seals behave differently from sea lions? |
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Definition
| Unlike Sea Lions who are very social, Adult Harbor Seal are usually solitary and rarely interact other than to mate. However, Harbor Seals haul out in loosely organized groups. Harbor Seals generally do not touch each other when hauled out and often maintain a space of several feet or more. If touched by another Harbor Seal, they respond with aggressive behaviors. |
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Term
| Why does Harbor Seal milk have such a high fat content (45%)? |
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Definition
| The extremely high fat content of Harbor Seal milk helps pup to more than double their birth weight by the time they are weaned. |
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Term
| How long do Harbor Seal pups stay with their mother? |
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Definition
| Harbor seal pups stay with their mother about 4 to 6 weeks during the nursing period. After weaning, the mother shows no interest in her pup. |
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