How big does a Harbor seal get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) reaches an average size of 1.61 meter (5′ 4″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 40 years, they grow from 10.21 kg (22.51 lbs) to 87.31 kg (192.49 lbs). A Harbor seal has 1 babies at once. The Harbor seal (genus: Phoca) is a member of the family Phocidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The harbor (or harbour) seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared seals, and true seals), they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic, Pacific Oceans, Baltic and North Seas.Harbor seals are brown, silvery white, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. An adult can attain a length of 1.85 m (6.1 ft) and a mass of up to 168 kg (370 lb). Blubber under the seal’s skin helps to maintain body temperature. Females outlive males (30–35 years versus 20–25 years). Harbor seals stick to familiar resting spots or haulout sites, generally rocky areas (although ice, sand, and mud may also be used) where they are protected from adverse weather conditions and predation, near a foraging area. Males may fight over mates under water and on land. Females bear a single pup after a nine-month gestation, which they care for alone. Pups can weigh up to 16 kg (35 lb) and are able to swim and dive within hours of birth. They develop quickly on their mothers’ fat-rich milk, and are weaned after four to six weeks.The global population of harbor seals is 350,000–500,000, but subspecies in certain habitats are threatened. Once a common practice, sealing is now illegal in many nations within the animal’s range.
Animals of the same family as a Harbor seal
We found other animals of the Phocidae family:
- Leopard seal with a size of 3.05 meter (10′ 0″)
- Caspian seal with a size of 1.41 meter (4′ 8″)
- Baikal seal with a size of 1.27 meter (4′ 3″)
- Crabeater seal with a size of 2.28 meter (7′ 6″)
- Grey seal with a size of 2.08 meter (6′ 10″)
- Northern elephant seal with a size of 3.72 meter (12′ 3″)
- Southern elephant seal with a size of 3.69 meter (12′ 2″)
- Caribbean monk seal with a size of 2.29 meter (7′ 7″)
- Caspian seal with a size of 1.41 meter (4′ 8″)
- Hawaiian monk seal with a size of 2.24 meter (7′ 5″)
Animals with the same size as a Harbor seal
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Harbor seal:
- White-tailed deer with a size of 1.51 meter (5′ 0″)
- South American fur seal with a size of 1.65 meter (5′ 6″)
- Southern reedbuck with a size of 1.51 meter (5′ 0″)
- Argali with a size of 1.59 meter (5′ 3″)
- Mule deer with a size of 1.52 meter (5′ 0″)
- Leopard with a size of 1.38 meter (4′ 7″)
- Yellow-backed duiker with a size of 1.32 meter (4′ 5″)
- Spotted seal with a size of 1.64 meter (5′ 5″)
- Cheetah with a size of 1.48 meter (4′ 11″)
- Juan Fernández fur seal with a size of 1.7 meter (5′ 7″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Harbor seal
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Harbor seal:
- Robert’s snow vole
- Spotted seal
- Sumatran serow
- Aye-aye
- Dwarf sperm whale
- Alpine ibex
- Nelson’s kangaroo rat
- Celebes crested macaque
- Red kangaroo
- Southern marsupial mole
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Harbor seal
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Harbor seal:
- Pygmy hippopotamus with an average maximal age of 43.75 years
- Siamang with an average maximal age of 38 years
- Harp seal with an average maximal age of 42 years
- Bactrian camel with an average maximal age of 40 years
- Toque macaque with an average maximal age of 35 years
- Campbell’s mona monkey with an average maximal age of 33 years
- Harp seal with an average maximal age of 42 years
- Walrus with an average maximal age of 40 years
- Wedge-capped capuchin with an average maximal age of 41 years
- Crested servaline genet with an average maximal age of 34 years
Animals with the same weight as a Harbor seal
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Phoca vitulina:
- Mountain goat with a weight of 71.84 kilos (158.38 lbs)
- Spotted seal with a weight of 99.02 kilos (218.3 lbs)
- Arctocephalus forsteri with a weight of 101.13 kilos (222.95 lbs)
- Ribbon seal with a weight of 90 kilos (198.42 lbs)
- Eld’s deer with a weight of 94.7 kilos (208.78 lbs)
- South Asian river dolphin with a weight of 75.99 kilos (167.53 lbs)
- Kob with a weight of 79.77 kilos (175.86 lbs)
- Sloth bear with a weight of 99.45 kilos (219.25 lbs)
- South Asian river dolphin with a weight of 93.49 kilos (206.11 lbs)
- Puku with a weight of 71.23 kilos (157.04 lbs)