How to Identify Seal in Washington

The simplest difference is size. Harbor Seals are compact, rarely exceeding 6 feet long, and weigh 100 to 300 pounds. Northern Elephant Seals are enormous by comparison, reaching 12 to 16 feet and weighing up to 5,000 pounds. If you spot a seal on a rock from a distance, size alone often gives away the species. Harbor Seals have a round, doglike face with large eyes placed high on the head. Elephant Seals have a longer snout and a prominent nose, especially males, which develop a large, floppy proboscis. The ears are also different: Harbor Seals have ear holes but no external ear flaps, while Elephant Seals lack visible ears altogether. When you are close enough to see these details through binoculars or in a photo, species identification becomes straightforward.

Harbor Seals are stocky and muscular with a dog-like expression. Their coloring ranges from silver-gray to brown and almost black, often with dark spots or rings on their backs and sides. Some individuals appear nearly spotless, while others are heavily marked. Their body tapers toward a short, chunky tail. They have flippers tucked under their body when resting, and their front flippers are notably shorter and more nimble than those of larger seals. Harbor Seals in Washington average 5 to 6 feet long, making them easy to overlook on a crowded beach or among rocks. They are the most abundant seal species in Washington, with over 5,700 confirmed sightings recorded by naturalists since 2020.

Harbor Seals display three main color patterns. Some animals are silver or light gray with scattered dark spots that look like leopard spots. Others are mottled brown with irregular blotches. A third group appears uniformly dark gray or black with minimal marking. The spots and rings are most visible in strong light, and individuals from different regions can look quite different from one another. Pups are born with fluffy, light-colored fur that darkens and sheds after three to four weeks. Adult males are often darker and more heavily spotted than females. If you photograph a Harbor Seal and zoom in, you will likely see a pattern unique to that individual, much like a fingerprint.

Harbor Seals cannot walk on their front flippers the way sea lions do. Instead, they move in a caterpillar-like motion called galumphing, where they contract their body and hind flippers to inch forward. This awkward gait keeps them safe on rocky shores because they cannot chase down intruders and prefer to stay near water for quick escape. When disturbed, a Harbor Seal will often slide or bounce directly into the water, leaving behind spray and ripples. They spend only a few hours hauled out each day, using the time to rest, regulate body temperature, and shed excess heat. On a cool morning or after heavy rain, you may see no seals at all on a favorite haul-out site, but return during warm, calm afternoons and find a dozen or more.

Northern Elephant Seals are rarely seen in Washington waters. Only 199 sightings were recorded in the state over several years, compared to over 5,700 for Harbor Seals. Elephant Seals are enormous, dark gray or blue-black creatures with a thick, wrinkled neck and stocky body. Males develop a large, elephant-like nose or proboscis that hangs down over their mouth, especially during breeding season. Females lack this nose extension but are still massive compared to Harbor Seals. They have small eyes and no external ears. Their hind flippers point backward and cannot rotate under their body. When an Elephant Seal hauls out, it looks like a giant, lumpy gray boulder on the beach or reef.

Northern Elephant Seals reach Washington mainly during summer months, particularly July and August. The peak season for all seal sightings in Washington runs from April through August, with June, July, and August providing the best chances to encounter Elephant Seals. Most sightings occur along the open coast and in deeper waters of the San Juan Islands and Strait of Juan de Fuca, where they come to feed on fish and squid. A few individuals linger into fall and winter, but they are never common. If you see a massive seal hauled out in Washington, especially a male with a prominent nose, photograph it and report the sighting to iNaturalist or a local wildlife agency, as Elephant Seal sightings help scientists track population movements.

Harbor Seals are surprisingly vocal underwater, producing clicks, whistles, and chirps that can be heard if you are swimming or diving nearby. Above water, they make snoring, grunting, and coughing sounds, especially when hauled out. A resting group will sometimes break into a chorus of growls and bleats that echoes across the rocks. These vocalizations serve social and territorial functions and differ from the silent, brooding presence of most Elephant Seals. If you are kayaking near a seal haul-out and hear underwater chirping and clicking, you are almost certainly near Harbor Seals. Elephant Seals produce deep bellows and roars, particularly males during breeding season, but these vocalizations are rare in Washington and usually occur on breeding beaches in California.

Harbor Seals have prominent, coarse whiskers that are sensitive to movement and fish vibrations. Their nostrils are crescent-shaped and positioned high on the snout, which closes automatically when diving. Up close, a Harbor Seal's nose looks moist and glistening, with a narrow septum dividing the nostrils. Northern Elephant Seals also have whiskers, but their elongated proboscis dominates the face, especially in large males. The nostrils of an Elephant Seal are larger and slit-like, adapted for prolonged diving to depths exceeding 5,000 feet. If you observe a seal hauling out and can see the nose in detail through binoculars, a crescent-shaped nostril with high placement suggests Harbor Seal, while a flared, downward-angled nose suggests Elephant Seal.

Harbor Seals leave smooth, rounded impressions on sand and mud where their body has rested. They do not leave distinct flipper tracks like sea lions do because they galumph forward as a unit. Look for a smooth, oblong depression that may be 5 or 6 feet long, often with small drag marks from flippers. You may also see whisker imprints or nose marks. Elephant Seals, if they haul out, leave massive, deep body prints and occasional large flipper marks, but they rarely venture onto Washington beaches and prefer open rocks far offshore. Harbor Seal scat (feces) appears as black or brown droppings often deposited on favorite haul-out rocks, which concentrate near the water's edge. These signs help confirm recent seal presence even when the animals themselves have returned to the water.

The San Juan Islands and Puget Sound are the prime locations for observing and identifying Harbor Seals in Washington. Popular haul-out sites include the waters around Friday Harbor, Cattle Point, and various small islands accessible by tour boat. The Olympic Peninsula, particularly along coastal rocks near Cape Flattery, also hosts dense populations. Mount Rainier gateway routes and Skagit Valley wetlands are less productive for seals. Spring and summer tours offer the highest success rate. Many commercial whale-watching operators stop at known seal haul-out sites and can point out individuals for you. Bring binoculars and a camera with a telephoto lens to observe seals safely without disturbing them. A distance of at least 50 feet is recommended to avoid causing animals to flee into the water, which wastes their energy and depletes body heat during rest.

Seal pups are born on rocks and beaches, and newborn Harbor Seals wear a fluffy, light-colored lanugo coat that contrasts sharply with their dark-eyed, pink-nosed appearance. The lanugo sheds after three to four weeks, revealing the spotted or mottled adult coat beneath. Young pups are smaller and may appear proportionally chunkier than adults. Adult seals grow progressively darker and heavier as they age, and large, scarred, or unusually colored males may be recognized as individuals by experienced observers. Elephant Seal pups and juveniles are still enormous compared to adult Harbor Seals, so size remains the single most reliable diagnostic feature. By observing seals throughout the year, you will begin to recognize individual animals and notice how appearance changes with molting, season, and age.