Phoca vitulina
Range
They are found in the oceans in the Northern Hemisphere.Habitat
They live in the ocean and on beaches, sand bars, reefs and ice floes.Body Traits
They are up to 6 feet long and can weigh more than 300 pounds. They are gray to black with dark spots. They have big eyes but no ears you can see. They have flippers for swimming, but out of the water their back flippers do not support their weight or even reach the ground.Habits
They gather on the beaches in late summer into loosely formed colonies, where mature seals will find mates. They swim moving their tail up and down and can go very fast leaping out of the water onto the beach.Diet
They eat fish and shellfish.Predators
They can be eaten by killer whales and sharks in the ocean and on land are eaten by coyotes, bears and birds of prey and foxes.Reproduction
Females are pregnant (gestation) for 7 – 10 months and have 1 or 2 pups.Lifespan and/or Conservation Status
They live 25 years in the wild. They are listed as Lower Risk – least concern.
Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Suborder: Caniformia
- Family: Phocidae
- Genus: Phoca
- Species: Phoca vitulina