Harp Seal

The Harp Seal belongs to the family Phocidae. These earless seals dwell in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. The Harp seal exhibits two different colors from young to adult. When Harp seals are young, they’re born with a yellow-white coat (the yellow is staining from the amniotic fluid). After a couple of days, the yellow will fade and they will be all white for about 3 weeks until their first molt. Once they molt, adult Harp seals have a silver-gray fur with black markings in the shape of a harp or wishbone. Like other seals, they maintain a thick layer of blubber to provide warmth and store energy. Their bodies are actually able to maintain a temperature as low as 10 C. The blubber however only insulates the seals core not their flippers but they have circulatory adaptation in them to prevent heat loss. They will pull the flippers close to their body to assist with keeping warm (It can be used to cool the seal as well if needed). They also have brown blubber that is used to warm the blood when it’s returning to its body. The pups will use this to gain rapid heat production to keep warm while they gain more of the other blubber. Harp seals use their sight and their beaded whiskers as their primary sense of vision. Their large black eyes are covered by a cornea that is constantly lubricated with tears produced by their lacrimal gland. This adaptation is to help protect them from the salt water. This would explain why Harp seals often look as if they are crying.

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