Harbor seal
Phoca vitulina
- Scientific name
- Phoca vitulina
- Group
- Marine mammals
- Rarity
- Common
- Where to see it
- Temperate Atlantic / English Channel, Cold / polar waters
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least concern
Did you know?
The harbor seal can hold its breath for up to 30 minutes while diving for fish. Pups can swim almost from birth and are able to follow their mother into the water within just a few hours.
What defines this group — Marine mammals
Warm-blooded, they nurse their young and breathe air — the group closest to us underwater.
- They breathe through a blowhole (whales, dolphins) or nostrils (seals, sea lions).
- A thick layer of blubber, rather than fur, insulates them from the cold.
- Many navigate and hunt by sound, using echolocation.