2010Seals I - Set

Habor seal (Phoca vitulina) is the most common seal species in Icelandic waters. They are found in coastal waters of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as those of the Baltic Sea. Only the harbor seal and the grey seal bear pups in nearshore costal terrain in Iceland. The entire harbor seal population is estimated at 400- 500.000 individuals. These are social animals and can be seen in shoals off coasts. Harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) is a mottled seal living in the North Atlantic and the Arctic. This seal is a common vagrant in Icelandic waters. The Icelandic name „school seal“ derives from the large shoals of harp seal seen around Iceland in formar times. Harp seal equals harbor seal in size and often travels in large groups. The world wide population is estimated at approximately 10 million individuals.