Harp seal pup also known as a "whitecoat". Newborn hap seals have a thick, fluffy white coat that helps them trap heat from the sunlight in their cold Arctic environment.
Sent by Michaela from Wegberg, Germany.
The harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), also known as the saddleback seal or Greenland seal, is a species of earless seal, or true seal, native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. Originally in the genus Phoca with a number of other species, it was reclassified into the monotypic genus Pagophilus in 1844. In Greek, its scientific name translates to "Greenlandic ice-lover", and its taxonomic synonym, Phoca groenlandica translates to "Greenlandic seal". This is the only species in the genus Pagophilus.
The mature harp seal has pure black eyes. It has a silver-grey fur covering its body, with black harp- or wishbone-shaped markings dorsally, accounting for its common name. Adult harp seals grow to be 1.7 to 2.0 m (5 ft 7 in to 6 ft 7 in) long and weigh from 115 to 140 kg (254 to 309 lb). The harp seal pup has a white coat for the first 2–3 weeks until the first moult, when it is replaced by a black-dotted silver to grey coat. Pups acquire their characteristic pattern once they near sexual maturity. In males, the transition to the harp-pattern tends to be abrupt, while in females it may be gradual and span years. Some females may never lose all their spots or not fully develop the harp-pattern. Harp seals show little sexual dimorphism in size, with males being slightly larger (read more).
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