Harp Seal

Overview

The harp seal is a true seal native to the icy waters of the northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Adults are easily recognized by a distinctive dark, harp- or saddle-shaped marking across their back. They rely heavily on stable sea ice platforms to rest, give birth, and rear their young.

Appearance

Adult seals have a light gray or yellowish-white coat contrasted by a prominent dark band or saddle pattern along their back and sides. Their face and muzzle are typically dark. Newborn pups are born with a fluffy white coat, which helps camouflage them against the snow and ice before they molt into their spotted juvenile pelage.

Biology & behavior

These marine mammals spend much of their time swimming in cold polar and subpolar seas but depend on ice floes for critical life stages. They are highly gregarious animals, often gathering in massive herds during the breeding and molting seasons. Pups are born on the ice in early spring; although newborns lack protective blubber initially, they rapidly develop a thick insulating layer while nursing from their mothers.