Seals differ from sea lions in a number of ways, including having shorter, stouter flippers, and no visible ear flaps. The harbor seal is probably the most wide-ranging and abundant pinniped. Four subspecies inhabit northern Pacific and Atlantic coastlines. A fifth subspecies, Phoca vitulina mellonae, is a landlocked group of harbor seals living in freshwater Seal Lake in Quebec, Canada. The most abundant subspecies is P.v.
Harbor seals feed on squids, crustaceans, mollusks, and fishes.
Unlike most other pinnipeds, harbor seals are generally solitary and rarely interact with one another. Harbor seals are not highly communicative, but if threatened a seal may respond by snorting, growling, lunging, scratching, or other aggressive gestures. Harbor seals along the Pacific coast usually give birth between February and July. A pup nurses for four to six weeks. Inc. Busch Entertainment Corporation.