Harp+Seal+ja113

8 fake facts. 1 fake pic


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= = = = = = = Harp seals spend relatively little time on land and prefer to swim in the South Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. These sleek swimmers cruise the chilly waters and feed on fish and crustaceans. They can't remain submerged for up to 15 minutes (real: ). Harp seals are sometimes called saddleback seals because of the dark, saddlelike marking on the back and sides of their light yellow or gray bodies. When the mating ends, females gather in groups to give birth. Young harp seals are born in the water, and mothers identify their own offspring from the multitudes by their smell. The young seals are famous for their snowy white coats. This fluffy fur is highly valued and has drawn hunters to the Newfoundland breeding grounds for two centuries. During the past several decades these grounds have become the scene of a human conflict between sealers and outraged environmentalists and animal rights activists. Turf males fight for their mates, battling with sharp teeth and powerful flippers. Modern hunts are better regulated than in the past, but the harp seal remains perhaps the most commercially important seal, with hundreds of thousands killed each year. A baby harp seal has white fur.The babies are helpless and the white fur helps camouflage it against the ice and snow. = = Common name:Seal Harp. Scientific name: Family Phocidae. Size: 1.6 to 1.7 meters (or 5.2 to 5.5 feet). Weight: 130 kg. (287 pounds). Calf size: 85 cm. (33 inches). Harp seals like to eat arctic cod, capelin, decapods, amphipods, crustaceans, and pelagic fish. There are three different populations of harp seal. One is found in the White Sea and has an estimated population of 800,000. The second population Jan Mayen, is thought to have about 300,000 animals. The largest group is found in the North Atlantic. This population is estimated to have 2.3 million harp seals. Harp seals may search for their food in waters as deep as 250 meters (That's 820 feet). They have to watch out for predators like walruses and polar bears. A harp seal may live up to 36 years if it avoids predators. Harp seals live in the Arctic, close to Greenland. Unless the seals are babies they live in the ice. It is warmer there than on the water. The farthest from Greenland harp seals have been sighted is Nova Scotia, Virginia and France. In each case only one seal was seen. Harp seals will eat a lot of different sea food. Crab, krill, crustations, capelin, plaice, eels, shrimp, salmon, herring, octopus, flounder, cod, plankton, smelt, anochovies, jellyfish and squid are favorites. Pups drink milk from their mothers. One interesting fact is that if a harp seal pup eats, it's teeth grow. When it doesn't eat it's teeth will grow. =