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The harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), also known as Saddleback Seal or Greenland Seal, is a species of earless seal, or true seal, native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. Originally in the genus Phoca with a number of other species, it was reclassified into the monotypic genus Pagophilus in 1844.
Harp seals are named for the harp-like pattern on the backs of adults. While juvenile harp seals are common along New Jersey's coast, adults are more rare, according to the stranding center.
The Lower Wells haul-out site receives the most use, with peak counts of 30 seals. During the winter months harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus), and occasionally hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), can be found basking on refuge salt marshes and in offshore waters. Seal strandings are a common occurrence ...
Five species of seals (harp seals, gray seals, harbor seals, hooded seals, and ringed seals), and numerous whale species swim in the waters of Stellwagen Bank. [3] Whale watchers frequently can see humpback whales, minke whales and fin whales and occasionally sight of one of the most critically endangered whale species, the North Atlantic right ...
A nearly 151-pound adult harp seal was rescued from a beach in Lavallette in February, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. It was released in early April and had gained 70 pounds.
The Government of Canada permits the hunting of harp seals. This has been met with controversy and debate. Proponents of seal hunts insist that the animals are killed humanely and the white-coated pups are not taken, while opponents argue that it is irresponsible to kill harp seals as they are already threatened by declining habitat. [173] [174]
In the 1980s–1990s, takings of harp seals totaled 8,000–10,000, and annual catches of hooded seals totaled a few thousand between 1997 and 2001. [1] Norway accounts for all recent seal hunting in the West Ice, as Russia has not hunted hooded seals since 1995, and catches harp seals at the East Ice in the White Sea – Barents Sea. [4]
These seals, found in Antarctica’s Erebus Bay, live in rapidly changing environments. They can weigh up to 1,320 pounds, or four times as much as a giant panda. They can weigh up to 1,320 pounds ...