a harbor seal pup lays on the beaches of the Outer Banks in the winter Harbor seals are more typically associated with the beaches of Cape Cod than they are on Cape Hatteras National Seashore along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1976, however, harbor seal numbers have been on a steady rise as their population begins to approach preindustrial levels in the Western Atlantic Ocean. The result of this has been a steady uptick in seal sightings during the winter months across more southerly beaches. Typically, harbor seal adults will stay closer to their summer feeding grounds throughout the winter than the young pups and juveniles. Less adept and hunting, the pups will often follow their summer food sources such as herring and hake as they make their annual migrations south to Cape Hatteras. And as a result, many of these young seals can be found lounging on the beaches throughout the winter. Photo by: Jared Lloyd
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