- Food Preferences & Resources. Adult harbor seals eat squid, crustaceans, molluscs, and a variety of fish; including, rockfish, herring, flounder, salmon, hake, and sand lance.
- Food Intake. Adult harbor seals eat 5-6% of their body weight per day, about 4.5-8.2 kg (10-18 lb.).
- Feeding Habits. Harbor seals don't chew their food. They swallow their food whole or tear it into chunks. With their back molars, they crush shells and crustaceans.
- Foraging. In dark or low light conditions, a harbor seal uses its sensitive vibrissae to find food.
- Water Intake. Harbor seals generally obtain the water they need from their food. If food intake is decreased, the metabolic breakdown of fat produces water.
How does food affect a harbor seal?
Harbor seals are good indicators of how contaminated food can contribute to the chemical buildup in animals and how mammals process pollutants in their bodies. The new study is striving to find ...
Does a killer whale eat a harbor seal?
Yes, orcas also eat seals. Seals are one of the most well-known foods of the Orcas. Orcas are known to swallow small seals and sea lions whole with ease. Yes, orcas being the apex predators are also known to feed upon sea otters as a whole.
What kind of fish do harp seals eat?
What Foods Do Harp Seals Eat?
- Fish. Harp seals prey on as many as 67 species of fish, according the International Union of Conservation of Nature, or IUCN.
- Invertebrates. A harp seal's diet may include 70 species of invertebrates -- spineless animals -- such as crabs, amphipods, krill and shrimp.
- Milk Does a Body Good. ...
How are harbor seals harmful to humans?
Our work includes:
- Satellite tagging.
- Observational studies.
- Stock assessments.
- Monitoring population abundance and distribution.
See more
Do harbor seals eat crab?
Harbor seals are within the Order Carnivora, which means that they primarily eat meat. The meat they eat is fish in the nearshore waters of the park, such as herring, anchovies, sardines, hake, flounder, sole, salmon and sculpin. They also eat invertebrates such as octopus and squid and even crabs.
Do harbor seals eat plants?
Diet: Harbor Seals are carnivorous (meat eater). They primarily prey upon fish such as menhaden, anchovy, sea bass, herring, cod, whiting and flatfish. They also feed on shrimp, mollusks and squid.
Do harbor seals eat ducks?
Harbor seals are mostly coastal, thought they have been recorded diving to depths of over 500 meters (1,640 feet). They have also been known to attack and eat several species of duck.
Do harbor seals have predators?
Depending on their location, harbor seals are preyed on by great white sharks, Greenland sharks, orcas, Steller sea lions and walruses. If they avoid predators, harbor seals can live for 30 to 35 years. Reproduction between harbor seals usually occurs underwater and is not well documented.
What can I feed seals?
Adult harbor seals eat squid, crustaceans, molluscs, and a variety of fish; including, rockfish, herring, flounder, salmon, hake, and sand lance.A harbor seal's diet varies seasonally and regionally and often is subject to local prey availability.
Do harbor seals eat penguins?
Yes, seals do eat penguins. Seals are carnivorous mammals and predators. Some varieties of seals such as fur seals and leopard seals regularly eat penguins on land and in the sea. A major part of their diet comprises penguins and other small Antarctic creatures.
Do harbor seals eat seagulls?
Seals also enjoy eating seabirds. They will catch birds that they find drifting on the sea and they also enjoy visiting bird nests to consume chicks or eggs. Seals usually feed on birds they find living near the sea. Seals often catch and eat penguins but will also eat seagulls and other birds that hunt for fish.
Are harbor seals friendly?
Like all intelligent marine mammals, each harbor seal has its own personality — some friendly and playful, others skittish and standoffish. Harbor seal pups are capable of swimming and diving within hours of being born.
Do seals eat humans?
Diet and foraging It is likely that they are opportunistic in that they prey on whatever is readily available. They are the only seals known to regularly hunt and kill warm-blooded prey, including other seals. Although rare, there are a few records of adult leopard seals attacking humans.
Are harbor seals aggressive?
Harbor seals are usually not dangerous to humans, but they can become aggressive if they come to associate humans with food. This is why a person should never feed a wild harbor seal.
How do you tell if a seal is male or female?
Both sexes have a scar from the umbilical attachment (belly-button). The males (♂) have a penile opening approximately half way between the umbilcal scar and the hind flippers, whilst the females (♀) have two small mammary glands which are often visible.
Where do seals sleep at night?
How do seals sleep. Seals sleep in the water as well as on land. In the water, they sleep floating in a standing position, like a fishing bobber, or floating horizontally on the surface. Because they are sleeping and not actively swimming, they can stay under water much longer than when hunting for food.
How to Identify Harbor Seals
The harbor seal, northern fur seal, California sea lion, Steller sea lion and northern elephant seal are the five species of pinnipeds a visitor mi...
What Do Harbor Seals Eat?
Harbor seals are within the Order Carnivora, which means that they primarily eat meat. The meat they eat is fish in the nearshore waters of the par...
Why Harbor Seals Haul Out
Harbor seals (and sea lions) haul out (come out of the water) almost daily to rest and to warm up. They cannot maintain their body temperature if t...
Harbor Seals Vulnerable to Disturbance
When seals and other pinnipeds haul out, they are extremely vulnerable to human disturbance. Often they will react when humans come within 90 m (30...
Food Preferences & Resources
Adult harbor seals eat squid, crustaceans, molluscs, and a variety of fish; including, rockfish, herring, flounder, salmon, hake, and sand lance.
Feeding Habits
Harbor seals don't chew their food. They swallow their food whole or tear it into chunks. With their back molars, they crush shells and crustaceans.
Foraging
In dark or low light conditions, a harbor seal uses its sensitive vibrissae to find food.
Water Intake
Harbor seals generally obtain the water they need from their food. If food intake is decreased, the metabolic breakdown of fat produces water. The metabolism of 0.45 kg (1 lb.) of fat produces 0.64 kg (1.4 lb.) of water.
Where do harbor seals live?
West and East Coasts. They are commonly seen resting on rocks and beaches along the coast and on floating ice in glacial fjords with their head and rear flippers elevated in a “banana-like” position.
What are the threats to the habitat of harbor seals?
Habitat Degradation. Harbor seals are susceptible to habitat loss and degradation. Physical barriers, which may include shoreline and offshore structures for development (e.g., for oil and gas, dredging, pile driving), can limit access to important migration, breeding, feeding, molting, or pupping areas.
Why are harbor seals so sensitive to ice?
Because glaciers in Alaska are experiencing unprecedented rates of ice loss, harbor seals are already coping with reduced ice cover at some tidewater glaciers, which makes them more sensitive to other impacts. For these reasons, NOAA developed the Alaska Harbor Seal Approach Guidelines in Glacial Fjords.
How long are seal pups pregnant?
Harbor seals mate in the water. Females are pregnant for about 10 months.
Why are harbor seals vulnerable to chemical contamination?
Harbor seals are vulnerable to chemical contaminants because they are near the top of the food chain. NOAA's Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program, which cleans up existing contamination, has several active projects in the Pacific Northwest and California. Educating the Public.
What are the problems with harbor seals?
Illegal feeding of harbor seals can lead to many problems including habituation, aggression, negative impacts to fisheries, entanglement, injury, and death. Harassment, including repeated exposure to vessel traffic and other disturbance, can degrade important nursery, molting, and haul out areas for harbor seals.
What happens if a seal gets entangled in a fishing net?
Once entangled, seals may drown if they cannot reach the surface to breathe, or they may drag attached gear for long distances as they swim, ultimately resulting in fatigue, compromised feeding ability, or serious injury, all of which may lead to reduced reproductive success and even death.
Why are harbor seals so gregarious?
Although harbor seals are mainly a solitary species, they can be extremely gregarious, especially on land and during the breeding season. Due to their naturally solitary lifestyle, they can become very antagonistic toward each other when groups of several hundred congregate together on shore during the breeding season.
Where do harbor seals live?
They have the widest distribution of any seal and live in both the North Atlantic and Northern Pacific oceans. Harbor seals can be found anywhere from cool, temperate waters to cold, arctic and sub-arctic coasts.
How long does it take for a harbor seal to give birth?
Mothers give birth to one pup after a gestation period of 10 1/2 to 11 months. The seal pups average 2.5-3 feet (75-100 centimeters) in length and weigh between about 22 and 26 pounds (10 and 12 kilograms) at birth.
What are some behaviors that seals use to keep others away?
Communication. Many individuals take part in biting, head butting, snorting, growling, flipper waving and other behaviors to keep others away from them. Harbor seals spend the majority of their time staying alert for predators, such as polar bears, orcas and sharks.
Why do harbor seals exhale?
Before a deep dive, harbor seals exhale to reduce the amount of oxygen in their lungs, relying instead on stored oxygen in their blood and muscle tissues. Blood is shunted away from the extremities and concentrated on maintaining the core functions of the brain, heart and lungs where it is needed.
How deep can a harbor seal dive?
Like other pinnipeds, harbor seals are adapted to dive and conserve oxygen underwater. They can generally dive to depths of about 500 feet (152 meters), but dives up to 1,460 feet (446 meters) have been recorded. They can remain submerged for up to 30 minutes at a time, but the average dive lasts less than three minutes given that most ...
How fast do harbor seals beat?
Harbor seals also slow their heart rates from upwards of 80-120 beats per minute to as few as three or four. After surfacing, the seal's heartbeat accelerates rapidly for a short period of time.
Why do seals eat more in the winter?
Seals eat much more in the warmer months than winter months because food can be scarce in winter. They need foods that contain lots of fat and oils to help them store more blubber for the winter. Here is a quick look at the main foods that seals love to eat:
How big are seals?
The Baikal seal is about 1 meter long and weighs up to 45kg while the Elephant seal, the biggest seal species, can reach a length of up to 5 meters tall and they can weigh up to 3,500 kg! Seals do not hibernate in the wintertime.
What is a seal pup?
Seals are also called Pinnipeds and are semi aquatic marine mammals of the Odobenidae family.
Why do squid stay active?
In summer, they need to eat a lot so they can store a layer of blubber which helps shield them from the cold during the winter. This layer of blubber also acts as a backup food reserve for winter when food is scarce.
How long do baby seals stay on land?
Baby seals are called pups. Pups usually stay on land for about a month until their waterproof fur grows in after which they will start to swim. Seals are mammals and feed by drinking from their mothers. From one month on, seal mothers will bring their pups fish so they can start to feed on solid foods.
How many species of seals are there?
Seals are also called Pinnipeds and are semi aquatic marine mammals of the Odobenidae family. There are 33 species of the seal at the moment but there used to be many more. Sadly, 50 species of seal have already become extinct. The different species of seal look quite similar but they can vary quite a lot in size.
Why do seals bite?
They can lash out and bite humans if they feel threatened and some are even known to swim up to people on docs and might bite them. They have microorganisms in their skin and on their teeth that can enter your body when they bite you. These microorganisms can cause infections which is why seals can be very dangerous.
What do seals eat?
These seals are carnivorous generalists, eating small to medium-sized fish, including cod, herring and mackerel, as well as crustaceans, octopus, and squid. Shrimp are especially important for young Harbor seal pups.
Where do harbor seals live?
Harbor seals live along Arctic coastlines and are also found in the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea, so are usually well spread out. A small number has also been seen in the North Sea. The Californian coasts are also apparently gaining more harbor seals now. They are also found in New York’s harbor. They prefer coastal waters near to the shore and are often seen on rocky islands, mudflats, sandy beaches, bays, and estuaries.
How deep can a harbor seal dive?
Fun Facts for Kids. Harbor seals can dive as deep as 427 m and stay underwater for almost 30 minutes. However, the average dive is a few minutes long and 91 m deep. Harbor seals perform dives in a range of shapes. One recent study classified their dives into variations on U-shaped and V-shaped dives.
How long does it take for a harbor seal to molt?
Harbor seals generally molt 2 to 3 months after pupping, leading to high numbers of them in haul-out locations. The pups usually molt first, then the juveniles, then adult females, and lastly the adult males.
What color are harbor seals?
Its color can vary from light gray, white or yellowish gray with darker spots, to gray, black or brown with spots or light rings. Its fur is short and thick, with coarse guard hair and dense, fine underhair. They have a gland in their skin which secretes oil to waterproof their fur. A Harbor seal has a round head and a short snout with a V-shaped nose, which it closes when under water. Its eyes are big, round and dark, it has ear openings, and long, droopy whiskers used for finding food underwater. Its front and hind flippers are short and webbed, and have five digits, with the first and fifth digits being longer than the middle ones. When its hind flippers are laid flat, they look like fans, and between them, it has a short, flattened tail.
Why do humans hunt harbor seals?
Humans hunt Harbor seals for their blubber, meat, skin, and fur. They are threatened by being tangled in fishing nets, especially in gillnets. They are sometimes killed by getting trapped in intake pipes in US power plants. Chemical and oil pollutants are further threats to this species.
Do harbor seals mate with females?
The fights between males for access to mate with females takes place in the water, lasting sometimes for many hours, the females mating with the winners of these battles. Males that are successful are able to mate with many females.
Why do harbor seals leave their pups?
Researchers believe they may do this because their relatively small body size cannot store enough fat to withstand a fast. A female harbor seal has two mammary glands on her lower abdomen.
How much protein is in harbor seal milk?
On average, harbor seal milk is about 45% fat, 9% protein, and 45.8% water, with traces of lactose (milk sugar). These figures may vary among individuals and may fluctuate throughout the nursing period. The extremely high fat content of the milk helps the pups more than double their weight by the time they are weaned.
How long do harbor seals nurse?
Harbor seals have been observed nursing both on land and in the water. A pup nurses for about one minute every three to four hours. Pups nurse for about four to six weeks. The female is an attentive parent during the nursing period. She noses the pup often.
How long does it take for a harbor seal to conceive?
Harbor seals have a total gestation of about 9 to 11 months. Gestation includes a period of delayed implantation: when the fertilized egg divides into a hollow ball of cells one layer thick (blastocyst), it stops growing and remains free-floating in the uterus for one-and-a-half to three months.
When do seals give birth?
Harbor seals of the northern Pacific population give birth from May to July. Farther south, the pupping season becomes progressively earlier; in Baja California, the season is February and March.
