Laguna Beach Seal & Sea Lion Rescue Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach Seal & Sea Lion Rescue Laguna Beach Seal & Sea Lion Rescue

Species Identifier: Harbor Seal

   
Pacific Marine Mammal Center

harbor sealHarbor Seal (phocid)
Phoca vitulina

  • Habitat:
    Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, from Alaska to Baja
  • Diet:
    herring, squid, octopus, shrimp, sculpin, salmon, flounder, alewife, hake, smelt, mackerel, sand lance, capelin, cod, and mollusks
  • Diet at PMMC:
    herring and smelt
  • Males:
    5 to 6 feet long, weigh up to 300 pounds
  • Females:
    slightly smaller
  • Dive:
    swim 10 to 15 mph, can dive 1500 feet for up to 40 minutes, average 3-7 min./dive
  • Pupping Season:
    In California, February to March. Pups weigh 25-30 pounds at birth.
  • Population:
    In North Pacific, estimated to be 330,000. In California, about 40,000 as of 1997.
  • Predators:
    polar bears, killer whales, sharks, humans, eagles, and coyotes (coyotes eat pups)

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