A. Food preferences and resources.
1. Adult harbor seals eat squid; crustaceans; molluscs; and a variety of fish, including rockfish, herring, flounder, salmon, hake, and sand lance.
2. A harbor seal's diet varies seasonally and regionally and often is subject to local prey availability.
B. Food intake.
Adult harbor seals eat 5% to 6% of their body weight per day, about 4.5 to 8.2 kg (10-18 lb.).
C. Feeding habits.
Harbor seals don't chew their food. They swallow their food whole or tear it into chunks. With their back molars, they crush shells and crustaceans.
D. Water intake.
Harbor seals generally obtain the water they need from their food. If food intake is decreased, the metabolic breakdown of fat produces water. The metabolism of 0.45 kg (1 lb.) of fat produces 0.64 kg (1.4 lb.) of water.
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