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Unlike most seals, which fast while nursing, harbor seal mothers leave their pups during the nursing period to forage at sea. Researchers believe they may do this because their relatively small body size cannot store enough fat to withstand a fast. |
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A female harbor seal has two mammary glands on her lower abdomen. |
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On average, harbor seal milk is about 45% fat, 9% protein, and 45.8% water, with traces of lactose (milk sugar). These figures may vary among individuals and may fluctuate throughout the nursing period. The extremely high fat content of the milk helps the pups more than double their weight by the time they are weaned. |
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Harbor seals have been observed nursing both on land and in the water. |
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A pup nurses for about one minute every three to four hours. |
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Pups nurse for about four to six weeks. |
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The female is an attentive parent during the nursing period. She noses the pup often. The pup may ride on her back, nip at her flippers, and chase her through the water. |
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Female harbor seals are affectionate, attentive mothers.
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Females recognize their own pups by vocalizations and by smell. |
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After her pup is weaned, a mother shows no interest in the pup. |
