Page 15 - World of Animals - Issue #28 Magazine

Life at sea Love on the ice

Courtship begins on the ice;
thousands of harp seals congregate
Harp seals are adapted for harsh in the hope of wooing a mate. There’s
lots of competition and males have to
conditions, enduring subzero work hard to grab a female’s attention.
temperatures for most of their lives

The harps seal’s life cycle starts on the ice and
plays out at sea. They have a tough start but if

they can survive the first few uncertain weeks, a
long life cruising the oceans awaits them.

Yellow jacket
Newborn harp seals have a
slight yellow colouration, the
result of staining by amniotic
fluid while in the womb. They

stay this colour for the first
two to three days of their life.
Motherly love
For the first 12 days,

harp seals make for
caring mothers. They will
shun food in an effort to
focus all their attention
on nursing their young.

A new white coat
Once the mothers leave, the
pups lose their yellow tinge as
it is bleached by the sun and
washed off by the rain. The
white coat helps them stay
hidden in their icy habitat.

Going the distance
Harp seals spend most of
their lives solitarily swimming
the seas and navigating their
way across long distances.

Fish supper
Much of their diet is made up
of fish and crustaceans. Harp

seals are skilled hunters and
will dive to depths of 200m
(660ft) to catch their dinner.

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