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Harp seal - PHOCA GROENLANDICA
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Seal": "Seal" comes from the Old English word "seolh," for the animal.
Location: The Arctic waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Habitat: Arctic waters and ice floes.
Description: The coat is basically gray with a distinctive pattern, the face is black, and a V-shaped black stripe runs along the back from behind the neck and spreads out over the sides of the body. In the female, which is darker, this stripe is less visible. It is absent in young harp seals, which are entirely white at birth. Total length about six and a half feet long, weighing almost 400 pounds, with the female slightly smaller
Behavior: This species is divided into three main populations: in the Arctic Ocean, in Greenland, and in Newfoundland. It is migratory, moving north in the summer and returning south in the winter to reproduce.
Reproduction: Birth takes place on the pack ice at some distance from the water, to offer better protection for the pups. The single pup is born in February or March. It nurses for three to four weeks, and becomes independent shortly after it is weaned.
Note: The fluffy white fur of the pups is highly valued, but taking it means that young must be killed within the first two weeks of their life. An agreement among various countries governs the times and the number of pups that can be slaughtered. Many people still oppose the pup slaughter, however.
Go to the Carnivora Page to learn more about the all the meat-eating animals.
Or go to the Seal Index to study other
seals.
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