Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderCarnivora (Carnívors)
- FamilyPhocidae (Earless Seals)
- GenusPhoca (common seals)
- SpeciesPhoca vitulina (Harbor Seal)
Closest Relatives at Olympic National Park
Northern Elephant Seal
Mirounga angustirostris
American Black Bear
Ursus americanus
Northern River Otter
Lontra canadensis
Sea Otter
Enhydra lutris
Northern Sea Lion
Eumetopias jubatus
California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Mountain Lion
Puma concolor
Gray Wolf
Canis lupus
Coyote
Canis latrans
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
Pacific Marten
Martes caurina
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 3 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 14 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 15 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 16 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Harbor Seal in Olympic National Park?
About 36% of visitor-days record a Harbor Seal sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 536 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Harbor Seal in Olympic National Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Harbor Seal in Olympic National Park in our monthly data.