Dead Stranded Pinnipeds in
Maryland Since 1990
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Hooded Seal - Males average 7.5-9 feet in length and weigh approximately 800 pounds. Males have an inflatable hood extending from the crown of the head to the upper lip and an inflatable nasal sac. Females average 6.5-7 feet in length and weigh approximately 650 pounds and do not have a hood. Both males and females are dark in color with silvery-gray blotches on their fur. Juveniles or "bluebacks" are bluish/gray on their back and white on their belly with a dark face. |
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Harbor Seal - Adults are 5-6 feet in length and weigh approxiamently 250 pounds. They are gray to reddish tan to brownish-black in color with darker spotting. Their heads are rounded with a short, concave, dog-like snout, nostrils form a "v" when viewed head on. Pups are gray to tan. |
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Harp Seal - Males and females average 5-6 feet in length and weigh up to 400 pounds. They have a dark head and their bodies are silver-gray with a black wishbone-shaped "harp" on the dorsal surface. The "harp" is often muted or covered by large blotches in females. Pups are white, molt into a black-spotted silvery coat and eventually develop the "harp" pattern after successive annual molts. |
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