Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
Also known as: Common Seal, Harbour Seal, Eastern Atlantic Harbour Seal, Stejnegeri, Western Pacific Harbor Seal
Habitat
Aquatic
Diet
VertFishScav
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
100.0 kg
About This Species
A coastal marine mammal that hauls out on rocks, sandbars, and beaches across the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic coasts to rest, molt, and give birth, spending much of the rest of its time foraging for fish close to shore. It is most easily seen at low tide when haul-out sites are exposed, often in small groups. Pupping season in late spring to early summer is a particularly sensitive time to watch from a distance.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Stay at least 50 to 100 metres from hauled-out seals and never approach a mother with a pup, since disturbance can cause a stampede into the water that separates pups from mothers or causes injury.
- Harbor seals are protected under marine mammal law in the United States, Canada, the UK, and the EU, though the specific rules and enforcement differ by country, so checking local guidance for the exact stretch of coast is worthwhile.
- Keep dogs leashed and away from haul-out sites, and never try to touch or feed a seal that appears alone on a beach, since resting pups are frequently mistaken for stranded animals.
Seasonal Activity
278,415 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Phocidae
Traits
- Diet
- VertFishScav
- Foraging
- Aquatic
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 100.0 kg
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.