Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center - University of New England

Marine Animal Facts
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Kemp’s Ridley
(Lepidochelys kempii) sea
turtles are the smallest of
the seven species of sea
turtles. The ONLY place
that they lay their eggs is
Rancho Nuevo, Mexico
from April to June.
Harp Seal (Phoca
groenlandica) pups’ white
lanugo coat is not white, it
is actually transparent. The
coat not only acts as
camouflage on the ice and
snow, but helps to reflect
the sunlight to keep the
animal warm.
Cetaceans (whales,
dolphins and porpoises)
“sleep” by resting one half
of their brain at a time.
While one half of the brain
stays awake to make sure
the animal breathes and
alerts them of any danger
in its environment, the other
half of the brain rests.
Stef, the Harp Seal Pup; A Rare Sight in New England
By: Alyssa Barton
The little white ball of fur that sent the University of New England campus into a
frenzy in February has been a wild ride. The vocalizations heard across campus
were from Stef, the harp seal pup that was abandoned at birth in Sprucehead,
Maine. She was admitted into the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center on February
24 th 2011, when she was just a day old.
Stef’s arrival at MARC took many people by surprise, harp seals are typically
born in Canada so not only is it incredibly uncommon to find harp seals this far
south but she is also the first harp seal pup to be treated at MARC.
At MARC it is a daily task to provide the seals with food, exercise (swim time),
vitamins, medications when needed and sometimes other special treatments for the
staff to ensure that the animals are eating enough to maintain a healthy weight and
strength. Since the harp seal pup is so unique, some routine tasks required
amending. The staff and volunteers would never think to have backed down from
the challenge! Stef’s presence inspired the use of feeding and treatment, methods
not typically used at MARC, such as a new milk formula recipe and different feeding
mechanisms.
After spending the past few weeks in the center, the pup has made very good
progress; she was given antibiotics to prevent a possible infection of her open,
healing umbilical and medicine for stomach issues. Overall she is healthy and has
a very playful personality. Her weight has increased; when she was on formula,
she was consuming up to 4 liters per day; from which she gained 3 pounds a day.
She has now switched over to consuming 6 kilograms (13.2 pounds) of fish a day;
her favorite is capelin. She has even shed her lanugo! This thick white fur that
covers the pups’ bodies after birth usually begins to shed around the first few weeks
of life.
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Hooded Seals (Cystophora
cristata), have the shortest
nursing period of all marine
mammals. 3 to 4 days of
milk from Mom, and baby is
left to start hunting fish on
their own.
The pup has been able to maintain some of her wild instincts and biological
elements; as she was weaned off of formula she refused to eat fish and
experienced a decrease in weight but soon learned how to associate swimming
with food. This routine is natural in the wild; when mothers are done nursing the
pups, they go off to find a new mate and leave the pups alone on the ice. The
young stay on the ice sheet, without food, until it melts out from underneath them
and they fall into the water where the instinct kicks in to begin catching fish. Stef
loves to swim, on her back, and catch the live fish in her pool.
Conservation Corner
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Almost 90% of floating
marine debris is plastic.
Due to its durability,
buoyancy, and ability to
accumulate and
concentrate toxins present
in the ocean, plastic is
especially harmful to all
marine life. Please dispose
of your plastic properly and
recycle!
Photo: Kylie Galliani
With harbor seal pups, they are usually released once they weigh 50 – 60 pounds,
and are in good health. Stef is well on her way to release!