How do true seals such as harp seals move on land or ice?

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harp seal A mother harp seal and a young “whitecoat.” Adult harp seals are gray with black spots. Young harp seals are called “whitecoats,” “bedlamers,” “beaters,” or “graybacks,” depending on their age.

True seals, such as the harp seal, belong to the family Phocidae and possess anatomical features that distinguish their movement from eared seals. Because their hind flippers cannot rotate forward under their bodies, they are unable to walk on land or ice using all four limbs.12

Instead, when onshore or on ice, true seals are forced to move by wriggling on their bellies or pulling themselves forward with their front limbs. This motion is often described as similar to that of a caterpillar.21