Harbor seals pictures and facts

Harbor seals

Order : Carnivora
Family : Phocidae
Genus : Phoca

Facts about the genus Phoca, the harbor seals

However, Rice (1998) states that the inclusion of a large number of species in the genus Phoca is not admissible and therefor the genus Pusa (which includes the ringed seal, the Caspian seal and the Baikal seal) is a valid genus.

Phoca is a genus of the earless seals, within the Family Phocidae. (Wiki)

zip Phoca Phoca is a Windows® winsock MU* client.

Please be aware that Phoca is crippleware/shareware, you can use it for free, but the more advanced functions are only available in the registered version. (Full text)

However, according to Rice (1998) the inclusion of a large number of species in the genus Phoca is not admissible, which means the Pagophilus groenlandicus would be the valid name for this species.

The name means "with teeth like seal's" (Phoca is a genus of seals). (Wiki)

Phoca is from Greek and means a seal, while fasciata is of Latin origin, meaning a band or ribbon. (Full text)

The number of harbor seals is down 85 percent in the Gulf of Alaska since the mid-1970s, and by half in Prince William Sound since the mid-1980s, although those populations may be gradually increasing. (Full text)

The 1998 take of harbor seals is comparable with takes from other years -- 2,854 (1992), 2,736 (1993), 2,621 (1994), 2,742 (1995), 2,741 (1996), and 2,546 (1997). (Full text)

• The gestation period for Harbor Seals is nine months. (Full text)

The complaint, filed by the plaintiffs in San Diego Superior Court, points out that harassment of harbor seals is prohibited by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the California Fish and Game Code, both of which strictly prohibit the "taking" of seals and other marine mammals.

Depending on how disturbance of the harbor seals is defined, this could mean anything from unfettered use of the beach by people to little or no use at all. (Full text)

A small herd of harbor seals is resting an isolated rock, hardly large enough to be referred to as an island, over twenty miles from the mainland.

Harbor seals are thought to live to at least 25 years. (Full text)

Unlike most other pinnipeds, harbor seals are generally solitary and rarely interact with one another. (Full text)

Harbor seals are the most vulnerable when out of the water and will quickly swim off if you get too close.

In San Francisco Bay, many harbor seals are fully or partially reddish in color. (Full text)

Harbor seals are the most abundant marine mammal along Puget Sound. (Full text)

about harbor seals: Harbor seals are widely distributed throughout temperate and subarctic waters of the northern hemisphere.

Harbor seals are often called “hair” seals by coastal residents of southern Alaska. (Full text)

^In the vicinity of Anchorage, Alaska`s largest urban and industrial city, harbor seals are sedentary and limited to coastal waters; some movements have been documents but there is no evidence of extensive migrations. (Full text)

Harbor seals are not highly communicative, but if threatened a seal may respond by snorting, growling, lunging or scratching. (Full text)

Diet: Harbor Seals are carnivores (meat-eaters); they eat mostly mollusks (like squid and clams), fish, and crustaceans.