Harbor seal
Did you know?
Phoca vitulina
Seals have beautiful big eyes. But they’re also great for seeing underwater, thanks to flattened corneas that take in more light.
Discover seals
Habitat
Wild and Zoo
Harbor seals live near piers and beaches along temperate subarctic and Arctic coastlines in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. They also live in Puget Sound. Find ours in Rocky Shores.
Rocky Shores
Meet the keepers
Our keepers give chats daily. Bring your questions and watch them work!
Zookeeper Life: Stephanie
Meet our seals!
Qilak
Saya
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Eating
(and predators!)
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Harbor seals love to eat fish and crustaceans, which they find by detecting sound waves with their whiskers.
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They are hunted by sharks, orcas, polar bears and humans.
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Slapping
for a mate.
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Males attract females by slapping their bodies on the water, blowing bubbles and vocalizing.
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Females give birth in the water, usually to a single pup which they nurse with a high-fat milk that helps them grow quickly.
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I'm okay!
(Mom's gone fishing.)
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Seals hunt alone but haul out in groups on land to rest, avoid predators, socialize and breed.
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If you see a seal pup on a beach, leave it alone! Mom is probably nearby fishing, and will come back soon.
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Protecting seals
Tangled and oil-coated
THE THREAT: While harbor seals are widespread, they live near humans and face human-caused threats: oil spills, chemical pollutants, entanglement in fishing debris and human harassment.
TAKE ACTION: You can help all sea animals by speaking up against off-shore oil drilling, and doing the right thing with plastic trash. Refuse single-use plastic altogether.
Marine Stories
Who's Nearby?
Love our seals? Then look out for our sea otters, just nearby in the Rocky Shores pools!