What Animal Lives Where

Where has the harp seal been recorded?

Pagophilus groenlandicus occurrence evidence comes from 805 records in 7 countries and territories, from 1901 to 2026. Most records come from Greenland.

harp seal
harp seal — Photo (display-sized rendition): Brian Gratwicke from DC, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
MammaliaCarnivoraPhocidaePagophilus

Observation evidence passport

Evidence found

805 records across 7 countries and territories, 1901–2026.

Pagophilus groenlandicus · GBIF taxon key 2434801

Source coverage

CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.

Refreshed 2026-09-23. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.

What this means

The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: March.

1 month reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.

What this does not mean

repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.

A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.

Compare this animal’s observation pattern

When it is recorded

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: March. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.

Records over time

19012026

Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.

Where harp seal has been recorded

The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for harp seal. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.

PlaceRecordsShare
Greenland 663
Svalbard and Jan Mayen 72
United States 36
Canada 28
Belgium 3
Russia 2
Norway 1

Related animals

Others in the family Phocidae.

ringed seal
ringed seal
11,471 records
southern elephant seal
southern elephant seal
7,072 records
leopard seal
leopard seal
6,302 records
Weddell seal
Weddell seal
5,754 records
crabeater seal
crabeater seal
4,238 records
hooded seal
hooded seal
28 records
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.