Harp seal
size:
Around 1.70 meter
weight:
Around 130 kilogram
color:
Males: silver grey with dark brown saddle-shaped spot on the back
Females: silver grey with dark brown or black spots
age:
30-35 years
food:
Fish, krill and crustaceans
movement:
Swimming and hobbling
enemies:
People, polar bears and orcas
reproduction:
Sexually
mature: age five
number: one young per birth
- Dut: zadelrob
- Eng: harp seal
- Fren: phoque du Groenland
- Ger: Sattelrobbe
- Lat: Phoca groenlandica (Pagophilus groenlandica)
- Dan: Grønlandsæl
- Nor: Grønlandssel
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- Harp seal, IFAW
Harp seal
Harp seals are closely related to harbour seals, however they do not live in the North Sea. A lost seal is only occasionally spotted along the Dutch coast. Males have a harp shaped spot on their back while females and young harp seals have a less obvious pattern of black or brown spots. Both sexes can grow to 1.70 meters long and weigh up to 130 kilograms. They live up to 30-35 years old. Harp seals are hunted in abundance in Norway and Canada.
On Texel
- Jonge zadelrob, Salko de Wolf
There have been two occasions a harp seal was found on Texel. In 1987, a live seal was brought to Ecomare in and later released. In 1996, a dead seal was found in such good physical condition, it was preserved and added to Ecomare's educational collection. Ecomare also has bones from harp seals dating back to the last glacial period when the harp seal was the most prominent seal species in the North Sea region.
- Distrubution harp seal
- General distribution region of the harp seal, Ecomare
Harp seals live in the northern Atlantic Ocean, Barents Sea, eastern Greenland and eastern Canada.
- Beaching along the Dutch coast
- Harp seal, Ecomare
From 1987 to 1991, a notably large amount of harp seals were stranded along the Dutch, German, Danish and northern French coasts. There were 35 reports all together with practically all of the reports in March or April. Such an invasion most likely occurred in the years 1901-1903 when a greater number of adult harp seals than normal swam south as well. In between these invasions, there were occasional reports of a lost harp seal.
Date Place and details shortly after 1945 Zeeland (report via fur buyer) 25 February 1987 Rottumerplaat 2 March 1987 Texel, young male, released by Ecomare 25 March 1987 Veerse dam 26 March 1987 Renesse 1 April 1987 Ameland,young male 7 April 1987 Schiermonnikoog 9 April 1987 Den Oever 10 April 1987 Vlieland early April 1987 Terschelling 3 March 1988 Noordwijk 28 March 1988 Lauwersoog 25 February 1990 Terschelling, young male 15 March 1990 Den Helder 1 January 1994 Terschelling; alive, released by seal sanctuary Pieterburen 11 January 1995 Brouwersdam 7 April 1996 Texel, dead, extraordinarily large female February 1997 Terschelling, live one-year old female; released by seal sanctuary Pieterburen * unless otherwise stated, beaching was adult or nearly adult males
See also
Info
Copyright Ecomare
