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Animal Size

Harbor seal size: How big do they get?

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 average adult size of a Harbor seal is  (5' 4

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:

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:

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:

Animals with the same life expectancy as a Harbor seal

Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Harbor seal:

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: