White Seals Physical Features

White seals are baby harp seals, distinctive for their extremely snow-like white fur. The primary habitat of harp and white seals is the northern Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, the southern Arctic Ocean. Their physical features help them survive unrelenting winters.

Body Temperature

White seals are born with a limited amount of blubber that develops into a thick, fatty layer as they grow older. This blubber keeps them insulated is also used to give the seal energy during long food droughts. Even the seal's flippers contribute to its internal regulation, pumping in warm or cold blood according to its needs.

White Seal Pups

Newly born white seal pups come out with a yellowish tinge to their fur. After a few days, it develops a snowy-white mane that blends in with the environment. This physical feature is crucial to white seal survival, since newborn pups are essentially helpless prey to predators like Arctic foxes and polar bears. After 10 or so days, when the pup is ready to venture out on its own in the water, the white fur turns gray.

Whiskers

White seals have extremely sensitive whiskers, also called vibrissae, which provide safe navigational direction while underwater. These vibrissae, similar in structure and design to the whiskers of a cat or a dog, can sense touch, but more importantly, can detect the vibration waves which signal nearby movement, alerting them to predator and prey alike.

Eyesight

Perhaps the greatest gift of white seals is their vision. Their eyes have a unique cornea system that can frequently rotate and avoid the glare of reflected sun off the white surfaces. The eyes are also covered constantly by a layer of tears. The layer protects the seal's eyes from the salt of the sea, and allows it to open its eyes underwater.