Harbour seal behavior Q

[Gombessa]

I think the difference is an order of magnitude. Sea lions can get up to 2500 lbs. Harbor seals, maybe 250. So it's a wash

Some of the seals I see around here are plumped up to the point where they look way over 300lb, not that I can accurately measure. But there's plenty of cotton candy and clam chowder around the wharf...

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

What's bigger, a Sea Lion, or a Harbor Seal?

Comparing a harbor seal to a sea lion is roughly like comparing a racoon to a bear ... and comparing a california sea lion to a stellar sea lion is like comparing a black bear to a grizzly ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[gcbryan]

What's bigger, a Sea Lion, or a Harbor Seal?

Assuming that they are both fully grown adults a Sea Lion is bigger.

(I didn't see the two posts above).

 

[b1gcountry]

Wow, I didn't realize they were that much bigger. Don't you guys have something one step below a harbor seal too? Or am I thinking about sea otters?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Wow, I didn't realize they were that much bigger. Don't you guys have something one step below a harbor seal too? Or am I thinking about sea otters?

We don't have sea otters in Puget Sound ... we have river otters (lots of rivers flowing into the Sound, after all). And yes, they're smaller than seals. However, they worry me more than seals because they can be aggressive and unpredictable. I've only been "buzzed" by a river otter once, and that was while working on a boat in a local marina. He was quite aggressive, and I eventually just quit what I was doing and got out of the water because I honestly didn't know his intentions ... but they didn't strike me in any way as friendly ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Gombessa]

We do have sea otters here in Monterey. When they're not hunting for clams, they're sitting on the surface filming you for the annual subaquatic film festival (Image Viewer)

I've only seen an otter underwater once. They tend to keep their distance and keep to themselves (which is fine with me). I'll take Bob's comment about unpredictability on faith.

 

[MikeSK]

That is an awesome vid. Just so cool. I thought about petting him to when he was on the bottom like that. Its almost like he was inviting you to scratch behind his ears

We saw several sea lions i think they were at the Channel Islands in Cali. Only had a couple swim buys though, they didn't get to close.