https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200953685
The organism that i observed was a harbor seal. Me and my ecology Lab partner were painting snails for marking and recapturing them for our class and to get statistical data over the next two weeks. We were walking by the edge of the harbor as it was a nice sunny day (FINALLY SUMMER IS SETTING IN!) and it was at this moment this adorable harbor seal came right on the edge of the dock walkway where it was bobbing its head to inspect us , I think it was just curious. We did not see the big pod of harbor seals until they were breaching and playing with each-other some 50-70 m towards the docks from where we spotting the first individual seal. This was a fun experience for me as it was my first time ever looking at a harbor seal. I was trying not to let my intrusive thought win as all i felt like doing in that moment was petting it.
I learnt that harbor seals are actually “true seals” and that they are much smaller compared to other seals like the stellar sea lion . I did not know that one way to distinguish them to confirm that it actually is a harbor seal is to look at not only their size but their two types of patterns that are the light grey sides and belly with dark blotches and the other type is a dark skin with light rings around them. Additionally, the way they move I find very adorable as their joints are fused and used flippers to loco-mote and “move awkwardly by undulating in a caterpillar like motion because their pelvic bones are fused”
“Harbor Seal (Phoca Vitulina).” Request Rejected, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=harborseal.main. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
The relationship between Alaska Natives and harbor seals, known as "ʼamuyuq" in the Inupiaq language, is deeply rooted in cultural traditions and subsistence practices. For thousands of years, harbor seals have been revered for their intelligence and resilience, playing a vital role in the subsistence lifestyle of Alaska Native communities along the coast. Seal hunting has been a traditional practice, providing not only food but also clothing and materials for tools and crafts.
This cultural connection continues to be strong today, but it is also evolving in response to conservation efforts and changing environmental conditions. Conservation organizations and government agencies are working collaboratively with Alaska Native communities to ensure the sustainable management of harbor seal populations. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to preserving cultural traditions while safeguarding the marine environment.
Sources:
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "Subsistence Uses of Seals in Alaska." https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=soundswild.main
Sources: Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (2020). Harbor Seal. Retrieved from https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=harborseal.main Huntington, H. P. (2000). Using traditional ecological knowledge in science: Methods and applications. Ecological Applications, 10(5), 1270-1274. National Park Service. (n.d.). Alaska Native Cultures. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/articles/alaska-native-cultures.htm
Comments
What a great find, Riz! I love harbor seals, and I always stop to watch them whenever I see them. It's cool that you got to see a large group of them interacting, as they are often only in large groups when they haul out. Thanks for taking us on this sweet moment with you to see this harbor seal and the nearby pod.
Also, thanks for sharing important information about the harbor seal in terms of what it is like as a species, and also how it has been and still is used by many Alaska Native people. You've done a great job of weaving together a Journal post that includes personal information from your experience, and relevant facts about the species with which you had your experience.
The one issue with your Journal post is MLA formatting. Erin also had the same issue of including a Works Cited at the end of her write-up, but not including any parenthetical citations/signal phrases WITHIN her write-up. Whenever you share a fact, you must provide the sources that gave you that fact directly in your sentence as a signal phrase and/or parenthetical citation. When you don't include that in-text information, you are plagiarizing.
Additionally, your entries in your Works Cited need to be organized more clearly. Each entry starts at the beginning of a new line, and the entries are organized alphabetically. You also are using some language and organization that we don't use in MLA formatted Works Cited entries, such as "Retrieved from." For electronic sources, I do want you to end your entries with "Accessed" and the date on which you found your sources online and read it. As always, these kinds of MLA formatting details need to be checked against the owl.purdue website before you submit your work whether here in iNaturalist, on our Discussion Board, or in Assignments on Blackboard.
I look forward to seeing corrected MLA formatting in future posts, and getting to go on more interesting journeys in the natural world with you!
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