# Where Do Harbor Seals Live?

> Where harbor seals live: Temperate and Arctic coastal waters, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Least Concern.

- **Species:** Harbor Seal (*Phoca vitulina*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore (fish, squid, crustaceans)
- **Habitat:** Temperate and Arctic coastal waters
- **Lifespan:** 25–30 years
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/harbor-seal/where-do-harbor-seal-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/harbor-seal/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The harbor seal is a true (earless) seal found along cool coasts across the Northern Hemisphere. It has a plump, spotted coat, no visible ear flaps, and large dark eyes. Harbor seals reach about 1.8 m (6 ft), live 25 to 30 years, and haul out on rocks and beaches to rest.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## A true, earless seal

The harbor seal is a true seal, meaning it has no external ear flaps — just small ear openings — and short front flippers. On land it cannot bring its hind flippers under its body, so it moves with a caterpillar-like wriggle. In the water, though, it is a graceful diver, powered by side-to-side strokes of its hind flippers.

## Help protect the Harbor Seal

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/harbor-seal/where-do-harbor-seal-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.