# Harp seal (*Pagophilus groenlandicus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/harp-seal  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus), also called the Greenland seal or saddleback seal, is a mammal in the family Phocidae, order Carnivora. It is a large, marine, diurnal piscivore with an adult body mass of 132.2 kg, and up to 141.1 kg reported. Its lifespan is given as 30 years, with up to 42 years reported, and the IUCN lists it as Near Threatened, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 132.2 kg – 141.1 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 30 years |
| Diet | Piscivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 42 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 243 days – 350 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 5.1 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.05 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Phocidae
- genus: Pagophilus
- species: *Pagophilus groenlandicus* (Erxleben, 1777)

Synonyms: *Pagophilus groenlandicus groenlandicus*, *Pagophilus groenlandicus oceanicus*, *Phoca albicauda*, *Phoca albini*, *Phoca groenlandica*, *Phoca groenlica*, *Phoca leucopla*, *Phoca oceanica*, *Phoca semilunaris*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the harp seal?

The harp seal is a mammal in the family Phocidae, part of the order Carnivora and suborder Caniformia.

### How heavy is a harp seal?

An adult harp seal has a body mass of 132.2 kg, with up to 141.1 kg reported. This places it in the large size class.

### What does the harp seal eat?

The harp seal is a piscivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.

### Is the harp seal endangered?

No. The IUCN lists the harp seal as Near Threatened (NT), which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a harp seal live?

The harp seal's lifespan is given as 30 years, with up to 42 years reported.

### How many young does a harp seal have?

A harp seal has 1 young per litter, with 1.05 litters per year, after a gestation period of 242.9 days.

### Who named the harp seal?

The harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus, was named by (Erxleben, 1777).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/harp-seal