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All pinnipeds have four flippers, a layer of blubber, and sensitive whiskers on their snouts. The Harbor seal has all of these and a lot more. Like many marine animals, Harbor seals have streamlined fusiform bodies, tapered at both ends. Harbor seals have spotty coats. The dorsal side has more spots then the ventral side.
- Swimming
- Diving
- Respiration
- Sleep
- Thermoregulation
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.Harbor seals can dive to depths exceeding 200 m (656 ft.). They don't routinely dive this deep, however, since most of their food is found in shallow waters.Adult harbor seals can stay submerged for up to 30 minutes, but dives usually last only about three minutes. A two-day-old harbor seal pup can stay submerged for up to two minutes.All marine mammals have special physiological adaptations for diving. These adaptations enable a harbor seal to conserve oxygen while it is under water.Before a deep dive, a harbor seal exhales to reduce the amount of air in its lungs. Oxygen is stored in the blood and muscle tissues, rather than in the lungs.Like most other marine mammals, a harbor seal's typical respiration cycle is a short exhalation, a short inhalation, and a longer breath-holding (apnea) period.
Harbor seals sleep on land or in the water. In the water they sleep at the surface and often assume a posture known as bottling - their entire bodies remain submerged with just their heads exposed. This enables them to breathe when necessary.
A harbor seal's core temperature is about 37.8°C (100°F). There is a heat gradient throughout the blubber from the body core to the skin. The skin remains about one degree Celsius warmer than surro...Harbor seals have a metabolic rate somewhat higher than land mammals of the same size. This helps them generate body heat for warmth.A thick layer of blubber insulates the harbor seal, reducing heat loss. The blubber of a northern Pacific harbor seal during winter may account for 27% to 30% of its total body mass. Blubber also s...In cold water, blood is shunted inward as blood vessels in the skin constrict, reducing heat loss to the environment.A harbor seal has a short, flattened tail - tucked between its hind flippers. Hair. Harbor seals have thick, short hair. The coat is made of coarse guard hairs and finer, but denser underhairs. Each guard hair has three to six underhair fibers attached to the root. The density of a harbor seal's hair increases with age. Glands in the skin ...
Harbor seals swim with alternate back-and-forth movements of their hind flippers. Harbor seals can remain submerged for up to 28 minutes and dive to depths of 90 m (295 ft); however, they routinely forage in shallower waters. Harbor seals along the Pacific coast usually give birth between February and July.
BEHAVIOR Harbor seals spend about half their time on land and half in water. and they are able to sleep in the water for up to 30 minutes. On land, they regulate their body temperature (either warming up on cold days or cooling down on hot ones) by raising rear and/or front flippers, called the banana pose.
Apr 19, 2022 · Harbor seals have short, dog-like snouts. The color of each seal’s fur varies but there are two basic patterns: light tan, silver, or blue-gray with dark speckling or spots, and a dark background with light rings. Harbor seals molt (shed hair) in the mid to late summer for 1-2 months, spending more time out of the water.
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Killer whales (orcas), white sharks and polar bears prey on harbor seals. Coyotes sometimes hunt common seals when they are on land. Conservation Status. IUCN has listed the harbor seal under their ‘Least Concern’ category. Their total population is estimated to be around 350,000-500,000 individuals.
