There are great numbers of harbor seals north of the equator along shores in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They are called harbor seals because they stay near shore.
A full-grown harbor seal is often just over six feet long, weighing up to 370 pounds. Females give birth to a single pup, between February and July, depending on where they live, and nursing them for four to six weeks. Then the pups are on their own.
Cute, friendly-looking mammals, they are actually quite shy and quickly wiggle from the shore into the ocean when people or animals get too close. This is partly because they are awkward on land. Excellent swimmers, in the water they are curious, often coming up close behind boats in the water.
Harbor seals may live 25 to 30 years in the wild. They can dive down to 1,640 feet while chasing something to eat, spending up to 20 minutes below the surface. Since they are mammals that breathe air, the Lord has given them several special abilities that make this possible. Among other things, their heart rate slows way down, so they use less oxygen. Also, they first expel all air from their lungs, minimizing pressure changes on their bodies. They have a special protein that holds onto oxygen in their muscles, instead.
They might spend days alone at sea, but then haul out (resting on shore or on a rock protruding out of the water), often where there are other seals. It is more common to see them hauled out in groups when they are molting, which they do once a year, or when having their pups. During their molt, their fur falls off in patches, all of it eventually being replaced with a healthy new fur coat.
They eat shellfish, shrimp, crabs, squid, octopi and fish, of which a favorite is salmon. Though they live by the ocean, they will swim up freshwater rivers more than 100 miles in search of fish at certain times.
Besides fishermen, the harbor seals’ worst enemies are killer whales and white sharks. Dogs, bears, coyotes and other land animals also attack them, especially the pups, along the shores.
Seals can survive long dives underwater by not breathing in while they are there. This makes me think of how we, as Christians, may often be in places where there are evil things around us. Do we know how to survive there without getting hurt by those things? If we keep our minds on what is good and pure and avoid thinking about those evil things, we can stay in communion with the Lord Jesus even in hard places. The Lord wants to give this to us!
Did You Know?
Harbor seals can dive down to 1,640 feet while chasing something to eat.
Messages of God’s Love 4/13/2025