| Seasonal Wildlife: Harp Seal |
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 Harp Seal
Phoca groenlandica<< back
Length: As long as 6 feet including the head and body.
Weight: As much as 400 pounds, average is around 300 pounds.
Age: May live to be 30 years old or more.
Range: The North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans from northern Russia, to Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada.
Food: A wide range of fish and macroplankton.
Reproduction: Harp Seals haul out in large herds on ice floes to give birth and molt. From mid February to march, each year, mature females give birth to a single pup weighing about 22 pounds. The females nurse their young for only about 12 days after they are born. Males and females reach sexual maturity at approximately 4-6 years of age. Mating takes place after the pups are weaned.
The Harp Seal is not a common seal on Long Island. However in recent years the number of stranded sick Harp Seals has risen dramatically. Almost all of these seals have been yearlings with only a very small percentage being adults. It is unclear what circumstances have brought about the changing status of this species in our waters, but the more stringent controls on commercial harvesting of this animal may be contributing to an increase in population, which could be a factor. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protects the Harp Seal under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
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