harbor seal
Dog-faced coastal mammal
A harbor seal is a small, spotted seal found along temperate and Arctic coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere.
They're the most widely distributed pinniped, common in harbors, estuaries, and rocky shores where they haul out to rest.
Harbor seals are often seen bobbing in coastal waters, watching boats or swimmers with characteristic curiosity.
Flippered marine mammal group
- flippersFoot-worn swim aids
- blubberMarine mammal fat
- whiskersFacial sensory hairs
- streamlinedMade smooth and efficient
snout · pelage · spotted coat · vibrissae · nostrils · claws · countershading
Warming oneself pleasantly
- divingEntering water deliberately
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- puppingBirthing seal offspring
- moltingPeriodic shedding of covering
vocalization · surfacing · thermoregulation · resting · nursing · swimming · hunting · sleeping
Land-water boundary
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- bayPartially enclosed water
- inletWater extending into land
- tidal flatPeriodically submerged coastal plain
sandbar · rocky shore · kelp bed · intertidal · mudflat · jetty · breakwater · river mouth
Seen or patterned
- dappledMarked with spots
- mottledHaving irregular color patches
- tanYellowish-brown hue
- brownDark earth tone
variegated · speckled · camouflage · countershading · photo identification · coat pattern
Hunting and consuming prey
- fish-eatingConsuming aquatic vertebrates
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- herringSmall silvery Atlantic fish
- salmonPink-fleshed migratory fish
squid · crustaceans · food web · marine ecosystem · carrying capacity
Organisms legally shielded from harm
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
- strandingLeaving helplessly isolated
- pollution impactHarm caused by contaminants
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
pinniped
Flippered marine mammal group
streamlined · snout · pelage · spotted coat · vibrissae · nostrils · claws · countershading
basking
Warming oneself pleasantly
molting · vocalization · surfacing · thermoregulation · resting · nursing · swimming · hunting · sleeping · curiosity
coastline
Land-water boundary
tidal flat · sandbar · rocky shore · kelp bed · intertidal · mudflat · jetty · breakwater · river mouth
spotted
Seen or patterned
brown · variegated · speckled · camouflage · countershading · photo identification · coat pattern
predation
Hunting and consuming prey
- fish-eatingConsuming aquatic vertebrates
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- herringSmall silvery Atlantic fish
salmon · squid · crustaceans · food web · marine ecosystem · carrying capacity
protected species
Organisms legally shielded from harm
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
- strandingLeaving helplessly isolated
- pollution impactHarm caused by contaminants
climate change · tagging · rescue center · entanglement · habitat loss
- New England Naturewhite pine, sugar maple, white birch, cranberry bog, salt marsh
- true seals
- ocean lifeocean, sea, sea creatures, shark, sea life
- sea lifeshark, whale, dolphin, salmon, jellyfish
- AlaskaFairbanks, Juneau, Denali, Sitka, Kodiak
- British Wildlifered deer, badgers, grey squirrel, foxes, otter
harbor sealsea lion
Eared flippered marine mammal
California sea lion · fur seal · leopard seal · walrus · elephant seal
harbor, harbored, seal, harboring, harbormaster, harborage, safe harbor, harbor seals