How do true seals such as harp seals move through water?

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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, move through the water by using their forelimbs to maneuver while propelling their bodies forward with side-to-side strokes of their hind limbs. This method of aquatic locomotion differs from that of eared seals (such as sea lions and fur seals), which primarily rely on a rowing motion of their long front flippers for propulsion.12