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Why do harp seals spend most of their lives in the water?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
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.
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.

Harp seals are marine mammals that have evolved physiological and behavioral adaptations to thrive in seawater, which serves as their primary environment for survival and foraging.12

While they spend the majority of their lives in the water, they are not fully aquatic and must return to land or sea ice for specific life-cycle requirements, including giving birth, rearing their young, and undergoing their annual molt. During these periods, they rely on platforms of pack ice to serve as a whelping ground. Outside of these essential terrestrial or ice-based activities, the water provides the necessary resources for their diet, which consists primarily of small fishes and invertebrates.1