Fort Bragg, California - Searching for Harbor Seals. Walking along Ward Avenue Haul Road. Harbor seals, also known as common seals, are pinnipeds native to the coastal waters of the Northern Hemisphere. They are known for their distinct behavior of pupping, or giving birth, on flat rocks, beaches, and sandbars during the breeding season. During pupping season, which typically occurs in the spring or early summer, female harbor seals will seek out safe and relatively quiet areas along the coastline to give birth to their pups. These areas often include rocky shores, where flat rocks provide a stable and relatively predator-free environment for the newborns. Harbor seal pups are born with a dense, white fur coat known as lanugo, which helps insulate them from the cold water and provides camouflage against predators. Mothers are attentive and protective of their pups, nursing them with rich milk for several weeks until they are strong enough to swim and forage on their own. One key difference between harbor seals and sea lions, another type of pinniped, lies in their physical characteristics and behavior. Harbor seals have shorter flippers and a more streamlined body shape compared to sea lions, which have longer, more powerful flippers and a more robust build. Sea lions also have external ear flaps, while harbor seals do not. In terms of behavior, harbor seals tend to be more solitary and less vocal than sea lions. They are often found resting on rocks or swimming alone or in small groups near the coastline. Sea lions, on the other hand, are more social animals, forming large colonies during breeding and haul-out seasons and communicating with each other through barks and vocalizations. Overall, while both harbor seals and sea lions are fascinating marine mammals, they differ in their physical characteristics, behavior, and habitat preferences, with harbor seals exhibiting the unique behavior of pupping on flat rocks along the coastline.