harbor seal

noun

: a small hair seal (Phoca vitulina) of oceanic coasts in the northern hemisphere that often ascends rivers

Examples of harbor seal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Populations of California’s other pinniped species, such as harbor seals and sea lions, also have rebounded to healthy levels since passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, said Allen. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 On April 6, a female harbor seal, Mira, arrived in Milwaukee from the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024 The wolf jumped into the water of Hallow Bay and grabbing the harbor seal’s tail, thrashing it around. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2023 Later in 2016, the group of researchers watched and filmed a wolf hunting down a harbor seal near the mouth of a creek. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2023 Mammal-eating Bigg’s killer whales, for example, sometimes kill surplus amounts of harbor seals, which might allow calves to learn to hunt, per the study. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2023 Svalbard is also home to the northernmost population of the harbor seal, which boasts an impressive latitudinal and longitudinal range. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2015 Over the past few years, harbor seals have kept me coming back to the water. Jennifer Berney, Outside Online, 7 Apr. 2023 Like human babies, harbor seal pups learn to change their pitch to target a parent's eardrums. Lois Parshley, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harbor seal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of harbor seal was in 1766

Dictionary Entries Near harbor seal

Cite this Entry

“Harbor seal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harbor%20seal. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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