3 seal species I see commonly mistaken for each other, and how to tell them apart!
starting off with
Harbour seals/common seals
Harbour seals have a wide variety in coat colours, some having a more sandy coat whereas others have more spotty or dark coats. I find the easiest way to tell them apart is in their face shape!
Pups are spotty with short baby fur, they tend not to be too fat as compared to species that live in colder climates.
Spotted seals
Spotted seals are well... spotted! they have a light underbelly and a darker grey top side, their whole bodies are covered in spots.
Spotted seal pups are fluffy and fat, they have a white coat. Not to be mistaken for harp seal pups as they lack the darker snout that harp seals have.
Ringed seals
Ringed seals are smaller than harbour and spotted seals, they have ring like markings along their backs and have shorter snouts. They live in cold climates so are very blubbery and round. Male ringed seals get dark wrinkly faces as they reach maturity.
Ringed seal pups are very small and white, with short snouts and little eyebrow dots.
5/25/22 Astoria along the pacific ocean, Oregon USA
Did you know that Kindergarten Cop and Goonies were filmed some in Astoria? Astoria is a interesting place to visit. There are signs up that will tell you about different sights that were filmed here. For instance we saw the school they used in Kindergarten Cop film. And Goonies, the thought of that movie always puts a smile on my face.
thinking about the two common seals i symbolically adopted from Zeehondencentrum Pieterburen last year, Eva and Lytse Pier. that rainbow you see in the background was supposed to be the promise of a bright and fulfilling future for them both, but Eva's life was tragically cut short just last month. i hope she's still among that rainbow now—no pain, no worries, just seally happiness. and lots of yummy fish.
this is once more a PSA to please keep your dogs on leashes when outdoors to the best of your abilities (because i know dogs can escape), especially if there's a lot of wildlife in the area. please.
This location in California near Monterey/Pacific Grove is (to the best of my knowledge) permanently fenced off to the public to allow these harbor seals and their pups a safe and secure place to lounge.
This stretch of the California coast is replete with views and vistas for landscape/nature photographers. This shot is just a middle of the day kinda image, but if you caught this scene with the right kind of sunset light and cloud interest, you could really have something.