Marine Species of the British Isles and Adjacent Seas (MSBIAS)

CaRMS taxon details

Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758

AphiaID

137084 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137084)

Classification

Status

accepted

Rank

Species

Parent

Phoca Linnaeus, 1758

Original name

Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758

Direct children (1)

Ordering

Alphabetically
By status

Children Display

direct main ranks all

Subspecies Phoca vitulina concolor De Kay, 1842

Environment

marine, brackish, fresh

Original description

Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places.]. Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. 1(10) [iii], 824 p., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 38 [details] Available for editors

Descriptive notes

Distribution North America

Distribution North America [details]

Taxonomic citation

CaRMS (2021). Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed at: http://www.marinespecies.org/CaRMS/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137084 on 2025-05-21

Regional species database citation

Nozères, C., Kennedy, M.K. (Eds.) (2025). Canadian Register of Marine Species. Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed at: https://www.marinespecies.org/Carms/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137084 on 2025-05-21

Taxonomic edit history

Date

action

2004-12-21 15:54:05Z

created

van der Land, Jacob

2010-05-20 10:05:06Z

changed

Churchill, Morgan

2010-05-20 10:09:49Z

checked

Berta, Annalisa

[taxonomic tree]

original description Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places.]. Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. 1(10) [iii], 824 p., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 38 [details] Available for editors

context source (BeRMS 2020) Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). European Seabirds at Sea - data collected by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). INBO Seabird distribution data (all trips). [details]

basis of record Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). Cetacea. In Wilson, D.E. & D.M. Reeder (eds). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. 723--743., available online at http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/ [details]

additional source van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]

additional source Linkletter, L. E. (1977). A checklist of marine fauna and flora of the Bay of Fundy. Huntsman Marine Laboratory, St. Andrews, N.B. 68: p. [details]

additional source Thomas, M. L. H. (1983). Marine and coastal systems of the Quoddy Region, New Brunswick. Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 64:1-306. [details] Available for editors

additional source Waring, G.T., J.M. Quintal and C.P. Fairfield (eds.). 2002. U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico marine mammal dtock assessments, 2002. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS- NE- 169. 318 p. [details]

additional source Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (1993). Mammal species of the world. Smithsonian Institution Press. , available online at http://vertebrates.si.edu/mammals/msw/ [details]

additional source Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/145561.pdf [details]

ecology source Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data. 10(1). (look up in IMIS), available online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02745-4 [details]

Present

Inaccurate

Introduced: alien

Containing type locality

Unreviewed

Biology Harbour seals are good swimmers. The pinipeds serve as rudder. The body and back pinnipeds cause propulsion. The seal is highly adapted to speed with its torpedo-like body and pinna. Observations made from ships revealed that they generally swim just 10 m beneath the water surface and that only rarely will they hunt under –20 m.

Young harbour seals are born on tide-sandbanks between the end of June and mid July, and are required, almost immediately (during high-tide) to be able to swim.

In general, harbour seals feed on benthic fish (such as flounder, sole, cod and whiting), but they must largely be quite opportunistic in regard to what they eat. They may also feed on mussels, crabs and cephalopods. [details]

Diet Fish, crustaceans, squid [details]

Dimensions Length: 170 cm (5'6"); Weight: 155kg (250 lb) [details]

Distribution North America [details]

Habitat nearshore waters of the Atlantic Ocean and adjoining seas above about 30 degrees latitude [details]

Habitat temperate to polar [details]

Importance They are considered pests to most fishing practices, especially herring weirs and Atlantic Salmon aquaculture sites. [details]

Morphology Distinguishing Characteristics: small in size in relation to seals, dog-like face, v-shaped nostrils, colour varies from white to tan to dark brown to red (molttled): [details]

Morphology Harbour seals can reach up to 1.6 m in length and weigh about 120 kilos. Their colour varies from grey to brown with black marks. A characteristic feature is their V-shaped nostrils. [details]

Reproduction Pupping: May-June on rocky ledges. Precocious, swimming shortly after birth; Weaning: ~ 1 month [details]

Definitions

Language	Name
Bulgarian	Обикновен тюленobiknoven tyulen	[details]
Danish	spættet sæl	[details]
Dutch	gewone zeehond	[details]
English	harbour sealcommon seal	[details]
French	phoque veau-marinphoque veau marin	[details]
German	Seehund	[details]
Italian	foca comune	[details]
Japanese	ゼニガタアザラシ	[details]
Lithuanian	paprastasis ruonis	[details]
Modern Greek (1453-)	Φώκια των λιμανιών	[details]
Norwegian Bokmål	steinkobbefjordsel	[details]
Norwegian Nynorsk	steinkobbefjordsel	[details]
Polish	foka pospolita	[details]
Russian	тюлень	[details]
Slovenian	navadni tjulenj	[details]
Spanish	foca moteadafoca común	[details]
Swedish	knubbsäl	[details]
Turkish	liman fokuliman focubayağı fok	[details]
Ukrainian	Тюлень звичайнийЗвичайний тюлень	[details]
Welsh	morlo cyffredin	[details]