Harbor seal Facts for Kids

Phoca vitulina · FOH-kuh vit-yoo-LY-nuh

A seal whose whiskers can feel where a fish has just swum.

🏃 speed: not yet checked
⚖️ 181 to 284 lb82 to 129 kg1
📏 4.9 to 5.9 ft1.5 to 1.8 m1 long
🎂 25 to 30 years25 to 30 years1
🍽️ fish
Doing fine (Least Concern)

Harbor seals rest on rocks and beaches near the sea. They have round heads and spotted fur. Their whiskers can feel the water move.

A harbor seal's whiskers can feel the tiny swirls a fish leaves behind as it swims, even in dark, muddy water. Seals rest on rocks and beaches to warm up and nap, then slip back into the sea to feed. A harbor seal pup can swim soon after it is born.

Harbor seals live on cool coasts all around the Northern Hemisphere, in more places than most other seals. In tests, a seal wearing a blindfold could still follow the path of a fish just by feeling the water with its whiskers. When a harbor seal dives, its heartbeat slows down and its body saves oxygen, so it can stay under while it hunts. Seals need quiet beaches to rest and care for their pups, so it is best to watch them from far away and never let dogs near.

How big is a harbor seal?

🧒 our measuring child, 4 ft1.2 m🦭 Harbor seal, 5 ft1.7 m long

Harbor seal in numbers

Length	4.9 to 5.9 ft1.5 to 1.8 m1
Height at the shoulder	no checked number yet
Weight	181 to 284 lb82 to 129 kg1adults
Top speed	no checked number yet
How long it lives	25 to 30 years25 to 30 years1
What it eats	fish, squid and crabs
Where it lives	cool coasts of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans
What kind	Mammals
Is it in danger?	Doing fine (Least Concern)2

A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.

Wow!

A harbor seal pup can swim soon after it is born.
Its whiskers can follow the trail a fish leaves in the water.
Its heartbeat slows down when it dives, to save air.

Compare the harbor seal

Friends and neighbours

Three questions

What does the harbor seal eat?

FishMeatPlants and animals

The answer: Fish. It eats fish, squid and crabs.

Where does the harbor seal live?

ForestFarmOcean

The answer: Ocean. It lives in cool coasts of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans.

Which is longer, the harbor seal or the lion?

The lionThe harbor sealThey're the same

The answer: The lion. Look at them side by side on the compare stage.

Books about the harbor seal, free at the library

Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the harbor seal for free.

Where these numbers come from

NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
Wikidata, Harbor seal (Q26913), checked 30 October 2026.