harp seal

American  

noun

1. a northern earless seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus, with pale-yellow fur darkening to gray with age, of coasts, drifting ice, and seas of the North Atlantic Ocean, hunted for its fur.

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harp seal British  

noun

1. a brownish-grey earless seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus, of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans

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Etymology

Origin of harp seal

First recorded in 1775–85; so called from the harplike shape of markings on the backs of adults

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

harp seal

To learn how to be a harp seal, the pups need time—and stable ice.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 23, 2024

Our boat navigated into the ice, and we spent a week documenting harp seal behavior above and below the surface.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 23, 2024

The act protects the harp seal throughout its range, including the North Atlantic and Artic oceans and the waters off New England.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

Huckleberry Finn joins Amelia Bedelia, a harp seal rescued from Ocean City, and Pippi Longstocking, a gray seal pup rescued from Dewey Beach, Del., at the aquarium.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 14, 2020

He ate the flesh of an old harp seal they had caught in their net.

From A Labrador Doctor The Autobiography of Wilfred Thomason Grenfell by Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell