Welcome to the
Kids' Page
of the
Richmond Bridge Harbor Seal Survey!

Can you spo t the seal?

Our project uses natural markings (such as spot patterns, scars from shark bites, or unusual coat color patterns) to identify individual harbor seals that we see in the San Francisco Bay.  We have identified nearly 100 seals using photos and sketches.

Below are a few of our known animals.  Can you match their photos with their descriptions?  Scroll down to see the photos.

Harbor seal #15 is an adult female - her hair is red, especially near her head.  Lots of black spots are visible on her underside.  She has a healed straight black scar on her underside and a reddish-pink mark or scrape under her left flipper.

Harbor seal #19 is an adult male - he is white with large black spots all over.  He has a straight scar across his underside, near his hind flippers.  There is a triangle-shaped spot just under the scar, near his right side.

Harbor seal #34 is an adult female - she is pale grey with scattered black spots.  The way we recognize #34 is that she has one red flipper (her left flipper only).

Harbor seal #40 is an adult male - his back is brownish black with white rings, and his underside is beige with black spots.  He has a thin, curved scar on his left side, perhaps from a shark or fishing gear.

Harbor seal #44 is an adult female - her back is dark grey with white rings, and her hair is red around her head and "shoulders".  She has a small, black, round scar on her back, between her fore flippers.  She had a pup in 2000.

Harbor seal #65 is an adult male - his back is dark grey with white rings and black spots, and his underside is white with scattered black spots.  He has an old, dark, well-healed scar on his left side, midway between his back and underside; the scar is shaped roughly like a rectangle, about 4-6 inches long.

A.

B.
C
D.
E.

F.

G.

Below are a few more pictures of the seals above.  Can you tell which seals (from the ones described above) are in the pictures?  Warning:  this is a bit more difficult...

H.
 

I.

Previous Harbor Seal Kids' Pages:

Winter 1998 - How to Be a Field Biologist
  Summer 1999 - All about Pups!
Spring 2000 - Wildlife of the San Francisco Bay
 
 
 
 
 

What would you like to know about harbor seals (or marine biology, or the San Francisco Bay, or whatever)??  Write to us and let us know, we will try and answer your questions.  Our address is below...
How to contact us:
Write to us at:
The Richmond Bridge Harbor Seal Survey
San Francisco State University
Dept. of Biology, HH-222
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco,  CA  94132

Or E-Mail us at:
seals@sfsu.edu
The topic for next page will be determined by the suggestions that we receive.
Please write us with your comments.

Extra Credit Answers: 19 (H), 44 (I)

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