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Why is weaning abrupt for harp seal pups?

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.

For harp seal pups, weaning is abrupt because female seals stop nursing their young in order to mate with males.1

During their short 12-day nursing period, pups consume milk that is rich in fat, allowing them to rapidly gain blubber. Once this period ends, the pups are left to fend for themselves; they do not feed for up to six weeks, during which time they may lose more than 50 percent of their body mass. This period of fasting eventually motivates the young seals to enter the water and begin feeding on their own.1