Harbor Seal

Description:

5' in length. Heavy and appears neckless. Yellowish-gray, mottled with dark spots and whitish rings, pale silvery when dry; enourmous individual color variation. Short, dog-like muzzle on wide face; V-shaped nostrils; large round black eyes. No external ear flaps. When in water can be noisy (snorts, growls, barks, grunts) playful, shy but curious. Hauls out at low tide, feeds in incoming and high tides on fishes, crustaceans, mollusks; may follow fish runs up to 10 miles inland on major rivers. Breeding- Mates in water in August. 1 pup born. Apr.- May, fully furred, alert, able to swim at birth. Nurse- 3-4 weeks Sign- Haul out slides in mud

Habitat:

Coastal rivers near sea. Hauls out on rocks, jetties, beaches, mudflats, ice Range- Summer: Common in Maine, spotty south to southeast Massachusetts. Winter entire coastline.

Notes:

Source- Nat'l Audubon Society Guide to New England by Peter Alden and Brian Cassie.