Harp Seal Skull Replica

$210.00

The Harp seal or Pagophilus groenlandicus eyes are large for its body size and contain a large spherical lens, which improves its focusing ability. Its pupil is mobile to help it adapt to the intense glare of the Arctic ice.

Description

Harp Seal Skull Replica measures 7.5 inches. The Harp Seal Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast, made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

The Harp Seal or Pagophilus groenlandicus, sometimes called the Saddleback Seal is a species of earless seal that is native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Arctic Ocean.

The Harp seal or Pagophilus groenlandicus has a silvery-gray body. Its eyes are pure black. It has black harp or wishbone-shaped markings on the back. The baby harp seal pup has a yellow-white coat at birth, but after three days, the coat turns white and stays white for about 2 to 3 weeks.

Adult Harp seals or Pagophilus groenlandicus grow up to be 6 feet 7 inches long and weigh from 310 to 420 lbs. This species is carnivorous feeding on fish, crabs and other invertebrates. Its scientific name, Pagophilus groenlandicus, means “ice-lover from Greenland”.

The Harp seal or Pagophilus groenlandicus eyes are large for its body size and contain a large spherical lens, which improves its focusing ability. Its pupil is mobile to help it adapt to the intense glare of the Arctic ice. Its retina is rod-dominated and backed by a cat-like and reflective tapetum lucidum, enhancing its low light sensitivity. Its cones are most sensitive to blue-green spectra, while its rods help sense light intensity and may provide some color discrimination.

Its cornea is lubricated by lacrimal glands, to protect the eye from sea water damage. The lack of tear ducts to drain secretions to the nasal passages contribute to the harp seals or Pagophilus groenlandicus “eye rings” on land. This can be an indication of the hydration level of the seal.

On ice, the mother identifies her offspring by smell. This sense may also warn of an approaching predator. Underwater, the seal closes its nostrils and smells nothing.

The Harp seal or Pagophilus groenlandicus whiskers, called vibrissae, lie in horizontal rows on either side of its snout. They provide a touch sense with labeled line coding, and underwater, also respond to low-frequency vibrations, such as movement.

Shop More Museum Quality Seal Skulls in Seal Skull Store

Additional information

Weight 5 lbs
Dimensions 7.5 in
Harp Seal Facts:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Clade: Pinnipedia
Family: Phocidae
Genus: Pagophilus
Species: P. groenlandicus
Binomial name: Pagophilus groenlandicus
Conservation status: Least concern – A least concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation. They do not qualify as threatened, near threatened, or (before 2001) conservation dependent.