Subject: Harbor Seal, Phoca vitulina, mother and pup

Location: Pacific ocean coast, Lane County, Oregon

Stock Number: 07-24007 (above) and 07-24366 (below)

Comment: In the photo above, the pup zeroes in on one of the mother's two large mammae.

In both photos, the mother has only one pup, which is typical for this species, although occasionally a mother will have two.

Young are born on land after a gestation period of about nine months.

Range of this species include the northern waters of North America, including coastal areas of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans.

Related images: The Mammals image gallery has more photographs from Canada, the United States, and the Neotropics.