Coast Critters stars Teresa Hurray of the Mendocino Area Parks Association and MacKerricher State Park of the North Coast of California (Mendocino County). Each segment she describes one of the many creatures that live on the wild and free Northern Coast of Mendocino County California. In this special spring segment we visit the Harbor seal rookery at MacKerricher State park and learns some of the do's and don'ts of seal watching.This segment of Coast Critters appears in episode #8 of the locally produced "Coast Currents" shows for Mendocino Coast Television.

This video was shot and edited by Troy Mellott for Mendocino Coast Television.
June 2011

(More seal info from Wiki)

The harbor (or harbour) seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. They are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as those of the Baltic and North Seas, making them the most widely distributed of the pinnipeds (walruses, eared seals, and true seals).
Common seals are brown, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. An adult can attain a length of 1.85 meters (6.1 ft) and a mass of 132 kilograms (290 lb). Females outlive males (30–35 years versus 20–25 years). Common seals stick to familiar resting spots or haulout sites, generally rocky areas (although ice, sand and mud may also be used) where they are protected from adverse weather conditions and predation, near a foraging area. Males may fight over mates underwater and on land. Females are believed to mate with the strongest males and generally bear a single pup, which they care for alone. Pups are able to swim and dive within hours of birth, and they develop quickly on their mothers' fat-rich milk. A fatty tissue layer called blubber is present under their skins and helps to maintain body temperature.
Their global population is 5-6 million, but subspecies in certain habitats are threatened. Seal hunting or sealing, once a common practice, is now illegal in most nations within the animal's range

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