Harp Seal Facts

The harp seal is a ear-less seal species native to the waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. They are also known as the 'saddleback' seals, owing to the black pattern on their back, which resembles a saddle to a certain extent. Not many people are aware of the fact that the binomial name for the harp seal species is Pagophilus groenlandica, which literally means the ice lover from Greenland.

General Facts about Harp Seals

The average lifespan of the harp seal species in the wild is around 20 years. When they are born, they have a white coat, but as they continue to grow this white fur is replaced by a gray leathery coat. This can be attributed to the fact that the adult seals spend most of the time in water, while the young ones spend most of the time on the land, The white color in the young one is a natural camouflage which helps the to avoid predators like the polar bear and killer shark. This is perhaps one of the best example of animal adaptations. A full-grown adult harp seal is 5.25 to 6.25 ft in length, and weighs around 400 lb.

Habitat: Harp seals are found in the cold regions near the north pole. Adult seals spend most of the time in waters of the Atlantic and Arctic, as the water here is relatively warmer than the snow clad land. The water body is also the hunting grounds for the harp seal. As we mentioned earlier, baby seals prefer to spend most of the time on the land, wherein their white fur protects them from severe cold and predators. Though the major population is restricted off the Greenland coast, sightings in Canada, Russia, etc., are not so rare.

Diet: Harp seals are carnivorous mammals which tend to feed on a wide variety of food available in their natural habitat. The long list of sea animals which constitute their diet include crabs, eels, shrimps, squids, plankton, and at times even jelly fish. As for the young ones, they most often feed on the mother's milk. Once they start venturing into the waters, their dietary habits change to the food source available in the water.

Some more interesting facts.....

• Even though a newly born harp seal weighs only 25 lbs, it can eventually grow on to become 6 ft in length and weigh about 400 lbs.
• Harp seals give birth to their young ones on floating ice.
• The teeth of the baby seals grow only when they eat something.
• Its large eyes are armed with large spherical lenses which helps it to focus over a long distance.
• The whiskers located on their mouth helps them detect low frequency vibrations.
• Their sense of smell is also amazing. The mother identifies its young one by its smell.
• Harp seals are excellent swimmers, who can dive to a depth of 1000 ft with immense ease.
• They also have an amazing ability of staying underwater for 15 minutes.

More recently, however, human interference has resulted in a drastic fall in harp seal population. Even though it is listed as a 'Least Concerned' species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list, the alarming rate at which they are hunted for their skin is bound to make them appear in the endangered species list, and eventually the IUCN Red List, some time soon. We can't afford to lose yet another beautiful creature on the planet, and therefore the need of the hour is strict implementation of conservation measures to save the various seal species.