Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

The harbor seal is a speckled seal that rests on rocks, beaches, and ice along much of both U.S. coasts, including Alaska. It's the most widespread seal in the world, ranging across the northern Atlantic and Pacific. Each one has its own pattern of spots.

Appearance

Appearance: Adults are about 5–6 ft (1.5–1.8 m) long and weigh 180–285 lb (80–130 kg); males are a bit larger, and Pacific and Alaska seals are generally bigger than Atlantic ones. Coat color ranges from light to dark, and each seal has its own spot pattern. No external ear flaps, just small ear openings, and V-shaped nostrils.

Look-alikes

Gray sealHalichoerus grypus

Gray seals are much bigger (females about 7.5 ft, males up to 10 ft) and have a long, curved "horsehead" nose, longest in males. Harbor seals are about 5–6 ft long with a shorter head and V-shaped nostrils.

Why they get mixed upBoth rest on the same New England beaches and rocks outside the breeding season.

California sea lionZalophus californianus

Sea lions have small external ear flaps and can turn their hind flippers forward to walk on land. Harbor seals have only ear holes and wiggle along on their bellies.

Why they get mixed upMany people call any seal-like animal on the West Coast a "seal."

Spotted sealPhoca largha

In Alaska, spotted seals give birth on sea ice to pups in white fluffy coats; harbor seal pups are born on land already spotted. Adults are very hard to tell apart in photos.

Why they get mixed upClose relatives with similar spotted coats; the spotted seal was once treated as a harbor seal .

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Rocky shores
Bays and estuaries
Sandbars and mudflats
Glacial ice (Alaska)
Range: On the West Coast, from Baja California to the Bering Sea, including California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. On the East Coast, from the Canadian Arctic to the Mid-Atlantic.
Preferred conditions: Lives in shallow coastal waters and rests on rocks, reefs, beaches, and ice close to shore.
Seasons: In California
Breeding Apr–May

Behavior

Diet: Mostly fish such as herring, salmon, cod, hake, and flounder, plus squid, octopus, shrimp, and crabs.
Activity: It to rest, molt, give birth, and warm up. On land it can't turn its hind flippers forward to walk like a sea lion, so it moves with a caterpillar-like wiggle—that doesn't mean it's hurt. It can sleep underwater and surface about every 30 minutes.
Social life: Mostly solitary at sea but gathers in groups at haul-out sites.

Life cycle

Breeding season: Pups are born in spring and summer, earlier in the south: around April–May in California and later farther north. In Washington's inland waters, pups arrive about two months later than on the outer coast.
Reproduction: Pups can swim at birth and dive for up to 2 minutes when just 2–3 days old. Mothers nurse for 4–6 weeks on milk that is about 50% fat.
Gestation: About 9 months; one pup a year.
Lifespan: Typically 25–30 years; females live longer than males (roughly 30–35 years versus 20–25).

Name and classification

Varieties and forms: Five subspecies have been proposed. U.S. West Coast and Alaska seals are the Pacific harbor seal (P. v. richardii). The Ungava seal (P. v. mellonae) lives only in freshwater lakes in northern Quebec and is endangered. East Coast seals have been called P. v. concolor, but genetic studies don't support splitting them off.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Status: Protected throughout U.S. waters under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and many U.S. populations have grown since. Until 1960, state-paid bounties encouraged killing harbor seals as competitors of fishermen. Federal wildlife guidelines ask people to stay at least 50 yards (46 m) away and watch for no more than 30 minutes.