Harp seal is an amazing animal. We will tell about its features, habits, habitats in this article. In another way, this mammal is also called bald.
Where does this beast live?
The habitat of this representative of the fauna is quite extensive, it is common in Arctic waters. The harp seal is found in the Arctic Ocean, in the White Sea, on the coast of the Labrador Peninsula and the islands of Newfoundland. A representative of this species can be found north of the island of Jan Mayen. Outside the breeding season, animals occupy other territorial open spaces, for example, in the Barents and Kara Seas. Also, this species can be found even in the Atlantic corners of Canada and the island of Greenland.
Features
Harp seal is the most numerous species of the family called “real seals”. Despite its wide variety, the bald is very easy to distinguish from other representatives of the “real seals”.
The first and most important thing to note is the specific and unique color that this Arctic resident has. At birth, Harp seal pups have a greenish coat color. After several days, the color of the baby’s hair and its structure itself changes. It becomes hollow and transparent. The sun's rays through such hollow villi easily fall on the black body and warm the skin. In the habitat of the harp seal, this is more than ever the case.
When the baby grows up, becomes independent and refuses milk, he shows all the features that the harp seal has, the photo clearly shows the main distinguishing feature - it is pronounced stripes on both sides of the back. In males it is more pronounced than in females of this species. The shape of the strips resembles a crescent, the color is dark brown. Moreover, the color of seal fur is gray. The strips are connected in the region of the sacrum in the upper back. By the way, the head also has a different color from the main shade - brown, this is another distinguishing feature of such a beast as the harp seal, the photo of which you see in our article.
Dimensions
The second thing I would like to note is the rather large size of such a northern representative. The length of the harp seal is at least 180 centimeters, the optimal size is from 180 to 185 cm. Of course, there are both larger individuals up to 190 cm and relatively small - 160 centimeters.
Many representatives of the animal world have sharp differences in the sizes of males and females. In the case of the type under consideration, there is practically no difference. Females of this seal may not be much smaller than males. The weight of these animals ranges from 140 to 160 kilograms.
A large proportion in the formation of body weight is a significant fat layer. A thick layer of fat is a kind of guarantee of health. It allows you to withstand unbearably low temperatures, which are not uncommon for Arctic waters. In addition, fat gives the most perfect streamlined body to these animals. And this fact directly proportionally affects the speed of movement of the animal in the water and other parameters in swimming.
How does the harp seal migrate?
The type of migration of this species will be considered below. Now we note the fact that the harp seal is almost always in the process of relocation, it constantly moves along the edge of the Arctic ice. In a static - relatively motionless position - it is found only under one of three conditions: during mating, during the period of the birth of the cubs, and also during molting.
The migration of such animals is associated with relocation from the open sea to stationary rookeries. Females of this representative of the fauna almost until the very moment of the birth of babies swim in the Arctic waters. Harp seal birth occurs literally in early March. The place for the production of offspring should be spacious, durable and with a thick snow cover.
After giving birth, the females go into special flocks, similar to the “manger, ” only they are huge in size. The most scientific name is whelping. It is in such conditions that the harp seal appears, we will tell you interesting facts about this animal a little later. So, the first week of life, the female lies with the cub, later, after 7-10 days, she begins to go out to the open sea and spends most of the time in water, she goes on ice only for milk feeding.
Interesting Facts
The first - twins are born very rarely, mostly one baby is born. Its dimensions are as follows: length - 1 meter, weight - about 8 kilograms. After birth, the baby harp seal gains about 2 kilograms per day. The main nutrients are transmitted with mother's milk, which is very oily, in fact, this contributes to the rapid weight gain.
Another interesting fact is associated with molting a bald coot. Shedding of this harmless animal is a rather long and painful process, which takes place at the end of March. In addition to the hair, the skin itself is updated. During molting, the animal loses much weight because it practically does not eat. Upon completion of this action and with the resumption of an active lifestyle, weight is quickly restored.
