Seal Watching on Vancouver Island

Have you ever wondered what are seals and where do they live? Any of 32 species of web-footed aquatic animals that live primarily in cold waters and have a body structure suited to rapid and elegant swimming. The two types of seals are the earless or true seals (family Phocidae) and the eared seals (family Otariidae), which include sea lions and fur seals. The harbour seal is a favourite since it is the most plentiful and often seen marine creature on our shore. They are definitely cute, with their dog-like features and curiosity, as well as the way they wiggle on their stomachs among the rocks and logs. Harbour seals are British Columbia's only true (or "earless") seals, weighing 70 kilos and measuring 1.5 meters in length. Their robust bodies, huge heads, and short limbs distinguish them, and their colour ranges from greyish-white to dark brown to black. They often have a mottled appearance that helps them blend in with the speckled intertidal zone. Since a prohibition on their management as fishery pests, harbour seal numbers have increased. They're particularly good at getting fish out of nets, and more than one salmon angler has only gotten a portion of their catch.

Harbour seals are one of the area's most common marine animals. Their fur is usually silver with black spots; however, it comes in a variety of colors. Harbour seals have huge eyes and long, straight whiskers, and their bodies are barrel-shaped. They are incredibly nimble and swift swimmers, despite their clumsy attempts to move on land. Seals, unlike the dexterous sea lions, have small flippers, therefore they must flop on their bellies instead of walking on their limbs when at the beach. Males and females are almost the same size, reaching a maximum length of 1.8m (6 feet) and weighing up to 110kg (250lbs). They have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years. In comparison to their raucous island mates, sea lions, and harbour seals are rather quiet. For transient or mammal-eating orcas, they are a key food source. Seasonally and geographically, the harbour seal diet varies. The main food sources for Vancouver Island harbour seals include fish, squid, mollusks, and crustaceans. Eaten whole, the meal is torn into bite-sized pieces.

They visit the land twice a year, once to mate and raise their young and again to molt. Mating takes place from December through March. Females favor the warmer latitudes, whereas adult males and youngsters prefer the northern regions. Elephant seals are light brown in color and have no external ear flaps or fur-covered flippers. The species' name comes from the males' huge elephant-like nostrils, known as proboscis, which may be inflated to approximately 1m or 2-3 feet. Males may weigh up to 2 tons (4,400 pounds) and reach a length of 6 meters (20 feet) in these gigantic sea creatures. Females are roughly half the size of males, weighing one ton (2,200 pounds) and reaching out three meters (10 feet). Elephant Seals can dive to depths of over 1000 meters (3280 feet) and hold their breath for up to 45 minutes, which is as amazing as their size. Elephant seals were historically intensively hunted, with the population dropping to less than 100 individuals in the 1800s. Fortunately, their population has increased.

Harbour seals spend the entire year in British Columbia. Haul outs are frequently timed to coincide with tidal cycles so that the seals can haul out during low tide. When tides are absent, the time of day has the greatest impact on harbour seal haul out behavior.

When harbour seals molt, they haul for an average of 12 hours per day, compared to 7 hours when they are not. When harbour seals molt, their metabolism slows down, allowing them to spend less time looking for food in the water.

It shouldn't take long to locate the harbour seal, Canada's Pacific coast's most common marine animal. The coves and nearshore waters around the coast of British Columbia are believed to be home to at least 100,000 of these fish. The presence of seals may astound you as proof of a healthy marine ecology right at the edge of civilization. Or, just as readily, as a ferocious predator devouring the very populations of fish that people hunt. Seals are everywhere, but you do need to search for them. Often, you can see a little head blip at the water's surface, and you might not even know what you are looking at. The Walking and Crabbing Pier, located near Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo, is a frequent location to watch seals. The seals, especially Lucy, like stealing the bait for the crab traps positioned below. The Oak Bay Marina is still the best spot to watch seals, and if you go there when sports fishermen are cleaning their catch, you will most certainly encounter seals.

Marine mammals known as "pinnipeds" include seals and sea lions, which have different morphological traits and ecological adaptations. Brown sea lions with obvious ear flaps (left) bark loudly and "walk" on land with their big flippers. Small flippers, belly-wriggling on land, and no discernible ear flaps are all characteristics of seals. The outer ears of sea lions have little flaps. The "true" or "earless" seals have no external ears, and the small openings on the sides of a seal's slender skull are only visible up close. Sea lions bark a lot. Seals have softer vocalizations, grunting softly. Although both seals and sea lions spend time in and out of the water, seals are more well-suited to life in the water than on land. In contrast to sea lions, seals are often smaller and more aquatically energetic. They also do not rotate and have a backward tilt to their hind flippers. They become quick in the water as a result, but on solid ground, they become simple belly crawlers. By moving their hind flippers forward and underneath their large bodies, sea lions, on the other hand, may "walk" on land. For this reason, aquaria and marine exhibits are more inclined to hire them.

If you have any plans to see seals flipping in the waters of Vancouver Island, please fill out the form below and mention "seal sighting".