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- The foreflippers are webbed with five bony digits that have short claws; the seals use these flippers for steering themselves underwater. The hind flippers are also webbed with five bony digits, but they are longer than the foreflippers and do not have claws; they move these flippers side to side to swim as fast as 12 miles per hour.
marinesanctuary.org/blog/sea-wonder-harbor-seal/Sea Wonder: Harbor Seal - National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Swimming. Harbor seals swim with all four flippers: they move their hind flippers from side to side to propel themselves forward, and use their foreflippers to help them steer. Harbor seals can swim forward and upside-down. They rarely swim backward. Harbor seals can swim up to 19 kph (12 mph), but they generally cruise at slower speeds. Diving
Apr 19, 2022 · Harbor seal pelvic bones are fused, preventing them from moving their hind flippers under their pelvis to walk on land like sea lions. Instead, they move by undulating in a caterpillar-like motion. This behavior does not mean they are injured. Harbor seal pups can swim at birth.
- Mammalia
- Chordata
- Carnivora
- They have been around for a long time. Fossil records indicate that the ancestors of modern seals first entered the ocean on the west coast, about 28–30 million years ago.
- There are three different major types of pinnipeds. “Phocid seals” are also called “true seals” and include several species such as harbor seals and gray seals.
- They have whiskers they use like cats do. Seals and sea lions have many well-developed whiskers, much like cats. Like cats, they have a very acute sense of touch.
- They can go for long periods of time without eating. A seal’s body stores enough fat in the blubber layer to allow the animal to go for extended periods of time without eating.
When underwater, harbor seals stop breathing so that their heart rate decreases leading to the conservation of energy. Also, they exhale before a deep dive which helps the oxygen accumulate into the muscles and blood, essentially reducing the oxygen content in the lungs.
- Mammalia
- Chordata
- Carnivora
Harbor seals don’t drink water – they obtain the water they need from their food. If food intake is decreased, the metabolic breakdown of fat produces water. Harbor seals swim by moving their hindflippers in a side to side motion to propel their bodies. Their foreflippers act as a rudder.
Harbor seals have adapted well to life in the sea. Swimming fairly close to home, they fish locally for food – eating a huge variety of seafood, including fish, squid, crustaceans and mollusks. Dives last 3 to 7 minutes and are usually in shallow waters. But they can dive deeper.
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Harbor seals stick to familiar resting spots or haulout sites, generally rocky areas (although ice, sand, and mud may also be used) where they are protected from adverse weather conditions and predation, near a foraging area. Males may fight over mates under water and on land.
