Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic
& Atmospheric Administration
By Bob Garrison
Outdoor California -- May/June, 1994
Early summer is a great time to travel to the coast in search of the harbor seal. California's most common marine mammal, the harbor seal is often missed at first glance. Unlike their noisy relatives, the California and Steller's sea lions and northern elephant seals, harbor seals make little noise and their mottled fur allows them to practically disappear against the rocks and sand. The key to finding the seals is knowing a little about their lifestyle.
Harbor seals spend their entire lives along the same stretch of coastline. To guard against California's cold water temperatures, seals maintain a thick layer of fat beneath their skin, giving them a thick sausage shape. They spend many hours during low tide hauled out on a favorite sandbar or rocky island soaking in the warm sunshine. The seals tend to hunt for fish, crabs, and shellfish during high tide. Harbor seals are the most vulnerable when out of the water and will quickly swim off if you get too close.
Harbor seals give birth to one pup in the spring. The dark-colored pups can be born on land or in the water, and the nursing period lasts about six weeks. After nursing is complete, the adult seals mate. Pregnancy lasts nine months, but the fertilized egg does not begin to develop for three months, aligning birth dates to the same time each year.
The last of the northward bound California gray whales may still be seen off the coast. California and Steller's sea lions also haul out along the shore. Listen for their loud barking calls. The northern elephant seal breeds on the channel islands in Southern California, the Farralon Islands off San Francisco and at Ano Nuevo north of Santa Cruz. Solitary elephant seals can occasionally be seen on mainland beaches near breeding islands.