NW Atlantic Seal Biology

Biology of Seals of the Northwest Atlantic

Worldwide, there are 35 species of pinnipeds (which is latin for "fin footed"). Some are found in the cold waters of the polar regions, while others live in tropical oceans. There are seven species of seals found in the northwest Atlantic. These are:

Harp Seal
2 Harp Seals

Harp Seals (Phoca groenlandica)

Hooded Seal
Blueback Pup

Hooded Seal Pup (Cystophora cristata)

Ringed Seal

Female Ringed Seal (Phoca hispida)

Grey Seal

Male Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus)

Harbour Seal
Harbour Pup

Harbour Seal Mother and Pup (Phoca vitulina)

Bearded Seal

Young Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus)

Walrus
Walrus Males

Male Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)

These seals are a varied group that differ in body size, shape, colouration, diet, and life history:

Vital Statistics for Northwest Atlantic Seals

	Body Length	Body Weight	Longevity	Diet	Nursing Duration	Population
Harp Seal	Adult: 1.6m Pup: 90cm	Adult: 135kg Pup: 10kg	35 years	Arctic cod, capelin, herring, sand lance, crustaceans	12 days	~4.8 million
Ringed Seal	Adult: 1.5m Pup: 65cm	Adult: 68kg Pup: 4.5kg	43 years	Arctic cod, capelin, blennies, crustaceans	2 months	6.5 million ^a
Hooded Seal	Male: 3.6m Female: 2m Pup: 1m	Male: 300kg Female: 160kg Pup: 15kg	30 years	Greenland halibut, redfish, Arctic cod, herring, squid	4 days	450,000
Harbour Seal	Adult: 1.8m Pup: 95cm	Adult: 110kg Pup: 10kg	35 years	Herring, flounder, other fish	4 weeks	Unknown ^b
Grey Seal	Male: 2.2m Female: 1.8m Pup: 75cm	Male: 220kg Female: 150kg Pup: 14kg	46 years	Sand lance, flatfish	3 weeks	154,000 ^c
Bearded Seal	Adult: 2.5m Pup: 1.3m	Adult: 250kg Pup: 35kg	31 years	Flounder, sculpin, Arctic cod, crustaceans	2 weeks	Unknown ^d
Walrus	Male: 3m Female: 2.5m Pup: 1.2m	Male: 1200kg Female: 800kg Pup: 63kg	Unknown	Clams, cockles, whelks, mussels	2-3 years	5,000 ^e

^a Ringed seals are primarily an Arctic species whose southern range extends to the coast of Labrador and northern Newfoundland. While numerous in Labrador, no population estimates are available for this area, and the table shows values for the entire north Atlantic.

^b While harbour seals are locally common in many areas, their distribution and total population are largely unknown.

^c Grey seals from the Sable Island and Gulf of St. Lawrence breeding areas are seasonal migrants throughout much of the northwest Atlantic.

^d Bearded seals are solitary and rarely seen in the northwest Atlantic; no population estimates are available for the northwest Atlantic.

^e Walrus are occasionally seen in waters near northern Labrador; this value is for the entire north Atlantic.

While harp, hooded, ringed, harbour, grey and bearded seals are relatively closely related as "true seals", walrus belong to a separate family.

Taxonomic Relationships

Introductory Page

Related Literature