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The
Harp Seal is a marine mammal that spends most of its life in
the sea, but also goes onto ice floes.
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The
Harp Seal has short, thick white fur with black patches and a
black face. The young are all white. These seals grow to be up
to 5.5 feet long and can weigh up to 285 pounds; females are a
bit smaller. The whiskers, called vibrissae, help the seal to
"feel." The nostrils are close when the seals are resting.
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Diet:
Harp Seals are carnivores (meat-eaters). They eat
mostly fish and crustaceans. Seals don't chew their food; they
swallow it in large chunks. They can crush the shells of
crustaceans with their flat back teeth.
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Habitat
and Shelter:
A
Harp Seal is a pinniped (related to walruses and sea
lions) that lives along shorelines in the North Atlantic and
the Arctic Ocean, ranging from Russia to Greenland to Canada.
It does not live in waters near Georgia because the water is
too warm. Harp seals can live in the water and rest on
the snow.
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Predators:
Harp seals are hunted by killer whales (orcas), polar bears,
and people. (These Harp Seals are just resting.)
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