Harbor Seals have Arrived at the Georgia Aquarium

February 18,2010

The Georgia Aquarium is excited to announce four new harbor seal pups debuted this past Saturday in the Georgia-Pacific Cold Water Quest gallery. These entertaining new pups, two males and two females, were born last year at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida and are known for their large size and prominent face whiskers.

These unique looking animals range in color from silver-gray to black or dark brown and can double their weight in four to
six weeks. The new pups, born last year at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, are between 3.5 - 4 feet in length and weigh between 86 - 114 pounds. Harbor seals, known for their large size and prominent face whiskers, can detect their prey in low light conditions by touch, vibration or water movement.

Harbor seals spend about half of their time in the sea and half on land. They are born with oil glands in the skin that help waterproof the fur and are the least vocal of their kind, primarily “talking” to each other underwater.

You can see these adorable new additions in the Cold Water Quest gallery, where they will reside alongside the beluga whales