? Harbor Seal Conservation status: Lower risk
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Pinnipedia Family: Phocidae Genus: Phoca Species: P. vitulina
Binomial name
Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758

The Harbor Seal or Common seal (Phoca vitulina) is a true seal of the Northern Hemisphere. Having the widest range of all pinnipeds, Harbor seals are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as those of the Baltic and North Seas. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2240x1488, 954 KB) Common Seal (Phoca vitulina) Source: Marcel Burkhard alias cele4 - http://www. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Binomial name Aptenodytes forsteri Gray, 1844 For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Families Ailuridae Amphicyonidae† Canidae Felidae Herpestidae Hyaenidae Mephitidae Miacidae† Mustelidae Nandiniidae Nimravidae† Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Procyonidae Ursidae Viverravidae† Viverridae The diverse order Carnivora (car-niv o-ra)(L. caro, flesh, + vorare, to devour) includes over 260 placental mammals. ... subfamilies Otariidae Phocidae Odobenidae Pinnipeds are large marine mammals belonging to the Pinnipedia, a family (sometimes a suborder or superfamily, depending on the classification scheme) of the order Carnivora. ... Genera Monachus (Monk Seals) Mirounga (Elephant Seal) Lobodon (Crabeater Seals) Leptonychotes Hydrurga (Leopard Seals) Ommatophoca Erignathus (Bearded Seals) Phoca Halichoerus (Gray Seals) Cystophora (Hooded Seals) The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. ... Species Phoca caspica(Caspian Seal) Phoca fasciata(Ribbon Seal) Phoca groenlandica(Harp Seal) Phoca hispida(Ringed Seal) Phoca largha(Spotted Seal) Phoca sibirica(Nerpaor Baikal Seal) Phoca vitulina(Common Seal) Phoca is a genus of the earless seals, within the Family Phocidae. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as (help· info), and in English usually under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), the name with which his publications were signed, was a Swedish botanist and physician who laid the foundations for the modern scheme... Genera Monachus (Monk Seals) Mirounga (Elephant Seal) Lobodon (Crabeater Seals) Leptonychotes Hydrurga (Leopard Seals) Ommatophoca Erignathus (Bearded Seals) Phoca Halichoerus (Gray Seals) Cystophora (Hooded Seals) The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. ... Insert non-formatted text here The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and population. ... Families Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Pinnipeds (fin-feet, lit. ... The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of the earths its surface. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53 deg. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ...

With an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 individuals, the population of Harbor seals is not threatened as a whole; most subspecies are secure in numbers with the Greenland, Hokkaido and Baltic Sea populations being exceptions. Local populations have been reduced or eliminated through outbreaks of disease and conflict with humans, both unintentionally and intentionally. While it is legal to kill seals which are perceived to threaten fisheries in the United Kingdom, Norway and Canada, commercial hunting is illegal; the seals are also taken in subsistence hunting and accidentally as bycatch in fishing nets. In the United States stricter protection applies, and it is illegal to kill any seals or any marine mammals, as they fall under the Marine Mammals Protection Act. On the East Coast of the United States their numbers seem to be increasing quite steadily as they are reclaiming parts of their range, and have been seen as far south as Virginia. For the dog breed, see Hokkaido (dog). ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53 deg. ... This article is about modern humans. ... A lobster boat unloading its catch in Ilfracombe harbour, North Devon, England A fishery (plural: fisheries) is an organized effort by humans to catch fish or other aquatic species, an activity known as fishing. ... A marine mammal is a mammal that is primarily ocean-dwelling or depends on the ocean for its food. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 35th 110,862 km² 320 km 690 km 7. ...

With each individual possessing a unique pattern of fine, dark spots, Common seals vary in color from brownish black to tan or grey; underparts are generally lighter. The body and flippers are short, with a proportionately large, rounded head. The nostrils appear distinctively V-shaped; as with other true seals, the ears are not visible. Including the head and flippers, Common seals may reach an adult length of 1.85 metres and a weight of 130 kilograms. Females are generally smaller than males.

Habitat and diet

Characterized as showing a strong degree of site fidelity in their choice of resting sites, harbor seals may spend several days at sea and travel up to 50 kilometers in search of feeding grounds, and will also swim some distance upstream into freshwater in large rivers. Resting sites may be both rugged, rocky coasts such as that of the Hebrides or the shorelines of New England, or sandy beaches. Harbor seals also inhabit sandy intertidal zones; some seals may also enter estuaries in pursuit of their fish prey. Some have even taken to feeding in New York Harbor and Boston Harbor in recent years. The seals frequently choose to congregate in harbours, lending the animals their other common name. The Murray River in Australia. ... The Hebrides The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, and in geological terms are composed of the oldest rocks in the British Isles. ... The states of New England are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. ... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing numerous ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits and services. ... New York Harbor is a geographic trem that refers collectively to the bays and tidal estuaries near the mouth of the Hudson and adjacent rivers in the vicinity of New York City. ... Categories: Stub | Massachusetts geography | Boston ...

The feeding habits of Harbor seals have been studied closely in many parts of their range; they are known to prey primarily upon fish such as menhaden, anchovy, sea bass, herring, cod, whiting and flatfish, and occasionally upon shrimp and squid. Harbor seals are able to dive for up to ten minutes, reaching depths of 50 meters or more, but average dives may be three minutes long at depths of about 20 meters {Carl, 1964}. Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus: the most abundant species of fish in the world. ... The menhadens comprise two genera of marine fish in the family Clupeidae. ... Genera Amazonsprattus Anchoa Anchovia Anchiovella Cetengraulis Coilia Encrasicholina Engraulis Jurengraulis Lycengraulis Lycothrissa Papuengraulis Pterengraulis Setipinna Stolephorus Thryssa The anchovies are a family (Engraulidae) of small but common schooling saltwater plankton-feeding fish. ... Sea bass is a name shared by a large number of different species of fish, including: The Black sea bass (Centropristis striata, family Serranidae) is the common name of a species of fish whose range is eastern coast of the United States. ... Family Clupeidae The herring is a type of small oily fish found in the temperate, shallow waters of the North Atlantic. ... Species Gadus morhua Gadus macrocephalus Gadus ogac Cod surfacing This article is about codfish; for other meanings, see COD. Cod is the common name for the genus Gadus of fish, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name of a variety of other fishes. ... Binomial name Merlangius merlangus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1767 Many types of fish have been given the common name whiting. ... Families Suborder Psettodoidei     Psettodoidae Suborder Pleuronectoidei     Citharidae     Scophthalmidae     Bothidae(lefteye flounders)     Pleuronectidae(righteye flounders)     Paralichthyidae     Achiropsettidae(southern flounders)     Samaridae Suborder Soleoidei     Soleidae(soles)     Achiridae(American soles)     Cynoglossidae(tonguefishes) The flatfish are an order (Pleuronectiformes) of ray-finned fish, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. ... Superfamilies and families Alpheoidea Alpheidae - snapping shrimps Barbouriidae Hippolytidae Ogyrididae Atyoidea Atyidae Bresilioidea Agostocarididae Alvinocarididae Bresiliidae Disciadidae Mirocarididae Campylonotoidea Bathypalaemonellidae Campylonotoidae Crangonoidea Crangonidae Glyphocrangonidea Galatheacaridoidea Galatheacarididae Nematocarcinoidea Eugonatonotidae Nematocarcinidae Rhynchocinetidae Xiphocarididae Oplophoroidea Oplophoridae Palaemonoidea Anchistioididae Desmocarididae Euryrhynchidae Gnathophyllidae Hymenoceridae Kakaducarididae Palaemonidae Typhlocarididae Pandaloidea Pandalidae Thalassocarididae Pasiphaeoidea Pasiphaeidae Procaridoidea Procarididae Processoidea... Suborders Myopsina Oegopsina Squids are the large, diverse group of marine cephalopods popular as food in cuisines as widely separated as Korean and Italian. ...

Behavior and reproduction

While not forming groups as large as most other pinnipeds, harbor seals are gregarious animals. When not actively feeding, the seals will haul themselves out of the water and onto a preferred resting site. The seals tend to hug the coast, not venturing more than 20 kilometres offshore. Both courtship and mating occurs underwater. The mating system is not known, but thought to be polygamous. Females are thought to give birth once per year, with a gestation period of eleven months. Courtship or dating is the process of selecting and attracting a mate for companionship, sex, marriage and sexual reproduction. ... It has been suggested that Copulation be merged into this article or section. ... Polygamy, literally many marriages in ancient Greek, is a marital practice in which a person has more than one spouse simultaneously (as opposed to monogamy where each person has a maximum of one spouse at any one time). ... Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. ...

Birthing of pups occurs annually on shore, beginning in February for populations in lower latitudes, and as late as July in the subarctic zone. The mothers are the sole providers of care with lactation lasting four to six weeks; males occupy themselves with fights between other males. The pups are born singly and well developed, capable of swimming and diving within hours. Suckling for three to four weeks, pups feed on the mother's rich, fatty milk and grow rapidly; born weighing up to 16 kilograms, the pups may double their weight by the time of weaning. A breastfeeding infant Breastfeeding is the practice of a woman feeding an infant (or sometimes a toddler or a young child) with milk produced from her mammary glands, usually directly from the nipples. ...

harbor seals must spend a great deal of time on shore when moulting (shedding of their fur), which the seals undergo shortly after breeding. This onshore time is important to the life cycle and can be disturbed when there is substantial human presence (Deghi, 1986). A female will mate again immediately following the weaning of her pup. This pinniped is sometimes reluctant to haul out in the presence of humans, so that shoreline development and access must be carefully studied in known locations of seal haul out (Deghi, 1986). In birds, moulting or molting is the routine shedding of old feathers. ... A dogs fur usually consists of longer, stiffer, guard hairs—which can be straight, wiry, or wavy, and of various lengths, hiding a soft, short-haired undercoat. ... Families Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Pinnipeds (fin-feet, lit. ...

Aspects particular to California

A discussion in more detail of the characteristics of the species in one of its ranges may elucidate understanding of the species as a whole. The California population amounted to approximately 25,000 individuals as of the year 1984. Harbor seals are found along the entire Pacific coast shoreline of the state. These animals prefer to remain relatively close to shore in sub-tidal and inter-tidal zones, and have not been seen beyond the Channel Islands as a pelagic form; moreover, they will often venture into bays and estuaries and even swim up coastal rivers. The Channel Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Normandy, France, in the English Channel. ...

Frequently they will haul out in small to medium sized groups onto rock outcrops, mudflats, sandy beaches or even fishing piers. Some of the best locations for viewing Harbor seals up close are at Cannery Row in Monterey or at Pier 39 in San Francisco. They feed in shallow littoral waters on herring, flounder, hake, anchovy, codfish and sculpin (Newby, 1978). Cannery Row is the waterfront street in the New Monterey section of Monterey, California (36. ... Monterrey is a city in Nuevo León, Mexico. ... Sea lions on Pier 39 A musician performs at Pier 39. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... A littoral is the region near the shoreline of a body of fresh or salt water. ... Family Clupeidae The herring is a type of small oily fish found in the temperate, shallow waters of the North Atlantic. ... Winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus Flounder are flatfish that live in ocean waters in Northern European waters and along the east coast of the United States and Canada, as well as the western Pacific (Japan). ... The term hake refers to various fish in the families Gadidae (subfamily Phycinae) and Merlucciidae (both subfamilies Merlucciinae and Steindachneriinae). ... Genera Amazonsprattus Anchoa Anchovia Anchiovella Cetengraulis Coilia Encrasicholina Engraulis Jurengraulis Lycengraulis Lycothrissa Papuengraulis Pterengraulis Setipinna Stolephorus Thryssa The anchovies are a family (Engraulidae) of small but common schooling saltwater plankton-feeding fish. ... Species Gadus morhua Gadus macrocephalus Gadus ogac Cod is the common name for the genus Gadus of fishes, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name of a variety of other fishes. ... Genera Alcichthys Andriashevicottus Antipodocottus Archaulus Argyrocottus Artedielloides Artediellus Artedius Ascelichthys Asemichthys Astrocottus Bero Bolinia Chitonotus Clinocottus Cottiusculus Cottus Daruma Enophrys Furcina Gymnocanthus Hemilepidotus Icelinus Icelus Jordania Leiocottus Leptocottus Megalocottus Mesocottus Micrenophrys Microcottus Myoxocephalus Ocynectes Oligocottus Orthonopias Paricelinus Phallocottus Phasmatocottus Porocottus Pseudoblennius Radulinopsis Radulinus Ricuzenius Ruscarius Scorpaenichthys Sigmistes Stelgistrum Stlegicottus Stlengis...

In California breeding occurs from March to May, and pupping between April and May depending on local populations. There is no indication this species has territorial characteristics in water, and it definitely displays none on land. As top level feeders in the kelp forest, Harbor seals enhance species diversity and productivity. The Harbor seal is preyed upon by the apex predator, the Great white shark. Breeding has several meanings related to procreation: In animal husbandry and in horticulture the selection of stock for propagation and the act of insemination by natural or artificial means is called breeding. ... Families Alariaceae Chordaceae Laminariaceae Lessoniaceae Phyllariaceae Pseudochordaceae Kelp are large seaweeds, belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales. ... Apex predators (also alpha predators or superpredators) are predators that are not preyed upon in the wild. ... Binomial name Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) For information about the band, see Great White (band). ...

Images

Harbour seal, La Jolla, CA, USA Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 720 KB) Summary Photo taken by Magnus Kjaergaard in La Jolla, CA, USA. September 11 2005 Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Harbour seal, La Jolla, CA, USA Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 882 KB) Summary Photo taken by Magnus Kjaergaard in La Jolla, CA, USA. September 11 2005 Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Common seal This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ...

on a Faroese stamp Image File history File links Faroe_stamp_227_grey_seal_(Phoca_vitulina). ...

References

• Phoca vitulina (TSN 180649). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 23 March 2006.

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bibliography

• California Wildlife, Volume III, Mammals, ed, by David C. Zeiner, William F. Laudenslayer and Kenneth E. Meyer, published by the California Department of Fish and Game, Apr. , 1990.
• CRC Handbook of Marine Mammal Medicine, edited by Leslie A Dierauf, Frances M D Gulland,, CRC Press (2001) ISBN 0-8493-0839-9
• Joan Hewitt, A Harbor Seal Pup Grows Up, Carolrhoda Books (2002) ISBN 1-57505-166-4
• T.C. Newby, Pacific Harbor Seal, pp 184-191 in D. Haley, ed. Marine Mammals of Eastern North Pacific and Arctic Waters, Pacific Search Press, Seattle WA (1978)

Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... PUP is a TLA that can stand for: PARC Universal Packet, one of the two earliest internetworking communications protocols Potentially unwanted programs, a term used for software you probably dont want installed, but isnt as annoying as adware, one example of PUP is spyware. ... The red line indicates the 10°C isotherm in July, commonly used to define the Arctic region border The Arctic is the area around the Earths North Pole. ...

External Link

• ARKive - images and movies of the common seal (Phoca vitulina)