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Harp Seal

Young harp seals are some of the cutest pups on ice — known for their thick white coats that keep them warm in the chilly Arctic. As they grow, they shed this baby fur, and adults develop distinctive harp-shaped markings on their backs. 

 

As part of the “true” — or earless — seal family, harp seals are well adapted for life in the water with a streamlined body, thinly webbed front flippers, and back flippers that help them propel through the chilly North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. They grow to be about 1.5-1.8 meters (5-6 feet) long and weigh between 120-135 kilograms (260-300 pounds). When born, pups are covered in long white fur that keeps them warm, since they lack the thick blubber of adults. But they don’t have this fur for long – newborns nurse on high-fat milk that helps them gain about 5 pounds a day, and after 3-4 weeks, they will shed their white fur and start to transition to their adult look: light gray fur with a black mask and a curved black marking on their back.  

Harp seals are excellent swimmers, able to stay underwater for up to 16 minutes in their search for a wide variety of prey including fish, krill, and crustaceans. They are also highly migratory, traveling together in large groups for thousands of miles between breeding and feeding grounds.

 

 

Harp seals were previously hunted in large numbers, but commercial harvesting has been declining following protections in the 1960s. While harp seals are currently the most abundant seals in the northern hemisphere, the impacts of climate change do pose a concern for their future. Loss of sea ice reduces vital habitat needed for resting, pupping, and molting, and already some breeding groups are seeing a reduction in pup production and declines in body condition likely due to warmer waters and less sea ice. They face other threats as well, including being accidentally caught in fishing gear, prey loss due to overfishing, and pollution of their waters.

 

 

Reducing global carbon emissions is critical to preserving the sea ice habitats that harp seals and many other Arctic species depend on. Supporting policies that address climate change and protect Arctic ecosystems can help safeguard these remarkable animals for future generations. You can learn about Oceana’s campaign to protect our climate by stopping offshore drilling here. 

 

 

 

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