Harp seals diet
After molting, the seals disperse widely to feed during the warmer months. Harp seals, Pagophilus groenlandicus (Erxleben, 1777), aka Phoca groenlandica, get their common name from the harp-shaped pattern on the dorsal (upper) side and flanks of adult harp seals. The fossil remains of Harp seals indicate they existed during the middle Miocene age, approximately 20 million years ago. Seals from the northwest Atlantic population travel to Baffin Island and southwest Greenland in early summer, then travel to Ellesmere Island in the high Arctic, some reaching as far as Hudson Bay, by late summer. During spring, harp seals migrate north following the receding pack ice. To reach these northern waters, harp seals must swim more than 3 200 kilometres. Those breeding near east Greenland have been found feeding in northern Iceland and northern Norway. Weight ranges from 85 to 18 kilograms depending on time of year. The life span for harp seals is about 30-35 years. The east Greenland population breeds near Jan Mayen Island, and the Barents Sea population breeds in the White Sea. They are also a very gregarious species gathering together to molt after the breeding season, which takes place on the pack ice from February-March. Harp seals are a highly migratory species, and have been known to travel distances up to 2,500 km. Through their summer residence in the Arctic, harp seals reach as far north as Jones and Lancaster Sounds in the Canadian Arctic and Thule in northwestern Greenland. In late September the populations begin a southward migration toward the winter breeding grounds. Image Source The Harp Seal is an aquatic mammal belonging to the Suborder Pinnipedia (fin-footed animals) and the Family Phocidae (true seals lacking external ears) that is found in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. There is no evidence of interbreeding among the different populations, but studies have shown juveniles may move between them. Harp Seals apparently originated in the northern hemisphere and are derived from a stock of land-based flesh-eating mammals.
They can crush the shells of crustaceans with their flat back teeth. The Northwest population is genetically different from the two others which are not proved genetically different from each other. Lawrence and off the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. The background colour of the pelt is steel blue when wet and pale grey when dry. Male Harp Seals are only slightly larger than females, the average length (from the nose to the tip of the tail) of adult males is 169 centimetres and of adult females 162 centimetres. Harp seals are also hunted by killer whales (orcas) and polar bears. Population data for this species is scarce, however it is estimated that the northwest Atlantic population contains between 4-6. Three distinct populations of the the ice-loving harp seal are found in the chilly waters of the Arctic and northern Atlantic Oceans. 2 million live in the Barents Sea and White Sea. The Harp Seal spends most of its life in the sea, however, it also goes onto ice floes. These patterns are more distinct on the bodies of adult males. The head and tail of the Harp seal are black, while the anterior flippers and belly are whitish. All 3 populations are hunted commercially, mainly by Canada, Norway, Russia and Greenland. 4 million seals, the east Greenland population contains about 300,000 seals, and about 1. Some juveniles and non-breeding adults stay in the north year round. The northwest Atlantic population breeds in the Gulf of St. Seals do not chew their food, they swallow it in large chunks. Harp seals owe their name to the irregular horseshoe-shaped band of black straddling the back in the adult male. Harp seals diet video:
