Volume 23, Plate VII / Mammalia (Mammals)

Harp, or Greenland Seal

Phoca Grœlandica

The Harp or Greenland Seal, about six feet long, is light grey marked on the back and sides with a great black half-moon that distinguishes the mature animal, the young passing through white, cream, grey, striped and spotted stages before wearing their half-moons. Migrating in vast herds led by a sentinel, it devours arctic salmon and other fish about Greenland and Davis’ Straits, and yields the best and most abundant oil.