THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 24, 1995 TAG: 9501240273
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
In the past week, more than a dozen harbor seals have been sighted along Outer Banks beaches.
One showed up Sunday between Duck and Sanderling. Another was seen near the Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills.
And one sleepy seal was sunning himself on the sand in Rodanthe - at the southern edge of the species' Atlantic habitat.
``Traditionally, harbor seals live in New England, off the shores of Long Island, north into Canada,'' said Rhett White, director of the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. ``Their range extends as far south as Hatteras Island. It's very, very unusual for us to see adult seals this far south.
``But most of the ones sighted so far this year have all been young, under a year old, which is not quite so rare around here any more.''
Until six years ago, Harbor seals seldom swam south of New Jersey, said Mark Swingle, assistant curator of the Virginia Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach. On the Outer Banks, White said, seals were sighted only once every three or four years.
Since 1989, however, larger numbers of the marine mammals have been traveling to Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.
``We've been getting calls about seals since the first week in December. About a week ago, one was lying on the first island outside the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel,'' Swingle said Monday. Another was swimming off the Virginia Beach resort area, just outside the breakers.
``Harbor seal populations have grown dramatically in New England waters in recent years,'' White said. ``As competition increases for food or space, the younger ones get pushed out of their traditional home range. They have to swim farther south to survive.''
Last year, at least 30 seals were sighted off the Outer Banks in January and February. About a dozen others showed up along the Virginia coast. Many were sick - or already dead from respiratory illnesses, distemper and intestinal worms. Scientists could not explain the plague that haunted Harbor seals through early 1994. Some of those young ones stayed on the Outer Banks through May, White said.
This year, all of the seals seem healthy.
``We haven't seen any evidence of injuries or illnesses in these seals so far,'' White said Monday. ``They appear to be OK. They're feeding on fish just offshore and come onto the beach to rest. In New England, they lie on the rocks. But sand is the only spot they have around here to haul out.''
Harbor seals have coarse, black-brown-grey fur and wide, brown eyes. Smaller than their coveted cousins - fur seals - and less mobile than circus-performing sea lions, harbor seals range from 3 to 5 feet long and weigh 35 to 120 pounds. They slide themselves along sand by using their back flippers, a laborious process for such large marine mammals.
``Seals don't have jointed front flippers, to they look very awkward moving on the beach,'' White said. ``People often think they're sick or dying when they see them. But that's just because of the way they're built.''
Although seals may look friendly, White and Swingle warned people to stay away from the animals. Seals can be vicious if frightened or provoked, White said. A single seal bite can cause a human hand to swell up overnight.
``Call us if you see one you think is sick or injured. We'll come and check it out,'' Swingle said. ``But don't be fooled into thinking you can get close and pet a harbor seal. They have big eyes and they're really cute. But they can also be very dangerous.'' by CNB