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Harp seal pup diving
Harp seal (Phoca groenlandica or Pagophilus groenlandicus) diving under ice floes. This two week old pup has begun to shed its all-white juvenile coat. The white fur was once prized by hunters but now hunting is restricted to older seals. The harp seal is found in Arctic and north Atlantic waters. Populations migrate, gathering to breed on pack ice before dispersing widely for the summer. The harp seal can eat as much as 5% of its body weight in fish per day. It also feeds on shrimp and krill. It typically dives to 100 metres (m) and can go below 270m. It is about 1.7m long with a weight of around 130 kilograms. Photo- graphed in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada.
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