Harp seal

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Phoca groenlandica 

     This animal is probably the most commercially important of the seals. Adults average about 2 m in length with a maximum weight up to about 180 kg. At birth, the pups are covered with a long, fluffy white fur from which they derive their common name of “whitecoats.” Mothers find their pups among the many whitecoats on the ice floes by scent and reject all but their own. 
     The pups nurse for only about 2 weeks and are then abandoned to fend for themselves. During that two week period, however, they grow enormously on their mother’s milk which is rich in butterfat. When they are weaned, they weigh about 40-45 kg.   
     Harp seals feed primarily on small fish and crustaceans. They are reported to be capable of diving to depths of 100 to 150 fathoms and remain submerged for up to 15 minutes. They apparently live for up to 30 years or more. 
     Aside from sealers, their principal predators are Greenland sharks, killer whales, and polar bears.