Apr 10
9
Harp Seal
Pagophilus groenlandicus
Introduction
Naturally this little silvery coloured seal lives to around 30 to 35 years, but they are commercially hunted for oil and fur. They are usually hunted on their breeding grounds where they are at their largest concentrations which leads to the hunt as being the largest slaughter of marine animals in the world.
Where Will I Find Them?
There are 3 populations of this cute little seal; the northwest Atlantic population breeds in the Gulf of St Lawrence and off the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland and is the biggest population of the three at between 4-6.4 million seals. The Barents Sea population breeds in the White Sea and contains around 1.2 million seals. The smallest population at around 300,000 seals is the east Greenland population which breeds near Jan Mayen Island. They migrate huge distances after breeding- up to 2500km.
What Do They Look Like?
The Harp Seal gets its name from the harp-shaped pattern on the lower back of the adult seal. Males and females are similar in size and average around 1.5 to 2 metres in length. They are born with a yellow coat that changes to white after a few days. After a few weeks they start to lose the white fur to get their adult coat of silvery-grey with irregular dark spots. At sexual maturity the irregular dark spots start to change into the harp pattern well known on this species.
What Do They Eat?
The Harp Seal has quite a varied diet that includes capelin, polar and arctic cod, herring, halibut, plaice, krill, shrimps and prawns and many others fish and crustaceans. They routinely dive to depths of 100 meters or more to feed, but they have been observed at depths of around 275 metres.
What is Their Usual Behaviour?
Generally they stay with their own population, and although juveniles have been known to move between populations, very little if any breeding occurs between the 3 populations.
What is Their Conservation Status?
Not listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
References
www.marinebio.org
Couldn’t resist a baby picture!!
