Blue whale (Norsk: Blåhval)
Balaenoptera musculus
Norway: Rare sightings along the coast of Norway on their migrations to their feeding grounds in the Arctic. More common in Island.
Group formation: Solitary (mother-calf pair)
Size: males 29m, females 33m, calf 7m
Weight: males 150 tons, females 180 tons, calf 3 tons
Spout Blow: up to 12m column
Age: 65-110 yrs
Sexual maturity: unknown ca 5-15yrs
Physical maturity: ca 20 yrs
Gestation: 10-12 months, with 2-3 yrs in between
Weaning: 6-8 months
Diet: Krill (euphausiids) and copepods (Temora longicornis).
Distribution: Worldwide in all Oceans, blue whales in the northern hemisphere are smaller than in the southern hemisphere, north-south migrations
Chile: seen along the coast of Chile (feeding grounds in the Gulf of Corcovado) on their migrations to their breeding grounds at the equator
Population size: global 10.000-25.000, heavily exploited (70-90% reduced)
Conservation Status: Endangered A1abd ver 3.1, Pop. trend: increasing
Threats: Vessel collisions, chemical and plastic pollution, man-made noise impacts (shipping, seismic surveys, military sonar), entanglement in fishing gear, overfishing, coastal development.
Vocalizations: voicesinthesea-blue-whales
Identification: Largest whale up to 33m! More grey than blue looking.
Northern Fin whale (Norsk: Finhval)
Balaenoptera physalus
Norway: Northern hemisphere population migrates yearly between equatorial regions (e.g. Azores) and the Barents Sea. They arrive at the coast of northern Norway in June-July and leave after the herring feast in February. In the Vestfjord, fin whales are seen during the months June-September either solitary, mother calf pairs or in groups of more than 15 individuals.
Group formation: Solitary-gregarious (2-7 loose, feeding groups > 100)
Size (Northern Hemisphere): males 18-22, females 20-23m, calf 6.5m
Weight: 40-50 tons, calf 1.7 tons
Spout: up to 10m, narrow column
Age: 80-114 yrs
Sexual maturity: 5-8 yrs
Physical maturity: ca. 25 yrs
Gestation: 11-11.5 months, 2-3 yrs between births
Weaning: 6-7 months
Diet: mainly krill, copepods, small schooling fish (including herring, mackerel, cod, pollock, capelin, sardines, sand lance, blue whiting, and small squid.
Distribution: Northern and Southern hemisphere sub-species, cosmopolitan from tropic to Polar Regions
Population size: global ca. 100.000-190.000, heavily exploited, about 80,000 in the North Atlantic
Conservation Status:
Vulnerable (2018) trend: unknown
Threats: Vessel collisions, whaling (Iceland, Greenland, Japan), plastic pollution, man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar), entanglement, overfishing (e.g. krill in Antarctica)
Vocalizations: voices in the sea fin whale
Identification: Second largest whale, large grey body 18-23 m long, V-shaped slender head
Humpback whale (Norsk: Knølhval)
Megaptera novaeangliae
Norway: Migrate from breeding grounds in Cape Verde or the Caribbean to feeding grounds in northern Norway and the Barents Sea, first animals arrive in northern Norway at the end of May and leave latest in February (after feeding on herring).
Group formation: Solitary – gregarious (mother-calf pair/male escort, larger feeding groups)
Size: males 11-18.6 meters, females 12-16 meters, calf 4-4.6 meters
Weight: 25-40 tons, calf 0.6-1 ton
Spout: 4-5 meters, up to 10 meters; low, round and bushy, balloon-shaped
Age: 50-95 years
Sexual maturity: 4-11 years
Physical maturity: ca 20 years
Gestation: 11-11.5 months, with 2-3 years in between
Weaning: 10-12 months
Diet: Krill, small schooling fish such as Atlantic herring, Atlantic salmon, capelin, and American sand lance, as well as Atlantic mackerel, pollock, and haddock in the North Atlantic.
Distribution: Worldwide (except very high arctic) with 4 populations, in the North Atlantic, North Pacific and Southern Oceans. Occurring primarily in coastal waters, though feeding and migrating whales do pass deep waters; highly migratory – summer: feeding in mid-/ high latitudes, winter: mating and calving in (sub)tropical waters.
Population size: global ca. 140.000, heavily exploited (95% in some populations), some populations slowly increasing
Conservation Status: Status: Least Concern (2018), Pop. trend: increasing
Threats: Entanglement in fishing gear, overfishing, vessel collisions, man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar), whaling (Greenland, Japan, Caribbean island Bequia in the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines), plastic pollution.
Vocalizations: https://voicesinthesea.ucsd.edu/species/baleenWhales/humpback.html
Identification: Body black above with white, black or mottled below; frequently raising white and black fluke (serrated along trailing edge, with variable pattern on underside) during dive; extremely long white flippers (1/3rd of body length), tubercles on head and lower jaw
Minke whale (Norsk: Vågehval)
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Norway: Commercial whaling with a quota of 1000 whales that could be killed in 2023. Arrives in early summer (April) and can be seen until fall (some even in winter), migration routes unknown. Shy due to active whaling in Norway.
Group formation: Solitary; individual or groups of 2-3
Size: males 7.5-8.5 meters, females 8.5-9.8 meters, calf 2.2-2.8 meters
Weight: 6-8 tons, calf 350-450 kilograms
Spout: 3 meters, more bushy, often invisible
Age: 50-60 years
Sexual maturity: females 6-8 years, males 5-8 years
Gestation: 10-11 months, every year or every other year
Weaning: 4-6 months
Diet: Krill, small schooling fish like herring, capelin, cod, mackerel, pollack, & sand lace.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan species, common minke whales are commonly seen during summer months in the northern Atlantic, but the migration patterns are unknown. It is believed calving grounds may be in tropical waters, including the Caribbean and off Brazil.
Population size: North Atlantic stock (Northeast Atlantic, Central North Atlantic, West Greenland, and Canadian East Coast.) ca. 200.000, heavily exploited.
Conservation Status: Least Concern (2018) Pop. trend: stable
Threats: Vessel collisions, whaling (Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Japan), plastic pollution, man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar, vessel traffic), entanglement in fishing gear, overfishing, habitat disturbance.
Vocalizations: https://voicesinthesea.ucsd.edu/species/baleenWhales/minke.html
Identification: Small & sleek; black/dark gray body, white underneath; sharply pointed snout; 50-70 ventral pleats; white band on flippers; no fluke raise when diving; blow usually not visible; falcate small dorsal fin appearing simultaneously with blowhole when surfacing
With this video we demonstrate the waste of a highly intelligent and long-lived animal, which was shot for commercial reasons. We oppose whaling and sealing in the world!
Whaling in Norway from Ocean Sounds on Vimeo.
Sperm whale (Norsk: Spermhval)
Physeter macrocephalus
Norway: only males are seen all year round in feeding grounds along the continental shelf (from northern Norway to Svalbard), in the Vestfjord June-September.
Group formation: Matrilineal groups (<12) Male Bachelor groups /solitary males
Size: males 14-19.2, females 10.5-12.5, calf 3.5-4.5 meters
Weight: males 35-70 tons, females 10-24 tons, calf 1 ton
Spout: Slanted; 2 meter at 45° angle
Diving range: 400-2035 meters, usually 30-50 minutes but up to 138 minutes (second deepest divers)
Age: 60-77 years
Sexual maturity: males 18-21 years, females 7-13 years
Physical maturity: males 40-50 years
Gestation: 14-18 months, 4-15 years in between
Weaning: 19-42 months
Diet: mostly squid (more than 25 species including giant and jumbo squid), fish (medium to large size deep sea fish including lumpsuckers and redfish), octopuses, sharks, skates
Distribution: Cosmopolitan, prefers ice free waters deeper than 1000m, continental shelf or canyons
Population size: unknown, heavily exploited (67% reduced) mostly due to whaling; estimated number of 360,000 today
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Vulnerable (2008), Pop. trend: unknown (declining in Mediterranean)
Threats: marine debris (including plastic bags), vessel collisions, entanglement in fishing gear, overfishing, man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar), pollution, and whaling (Japan, Indonesia)
Vocalizations: https://voicesinthesea.ucsd.edu/species/spermWhales/sperm.html
Identification: Dark grey/brownish & wrinkled skin, single blow hole (45 degrees) at front of enormous & square-shaped head, narrow lower jaw with white lips, paddle-like flippers, low hump as dorsal fin, fluke with trailing edge of nicks and notches (mostly used in photo-ID), fleshy knobs between dorsal fin and fluke
Killer Whale, Orca
(Norsk: Spekkhogger)
Orcinus orca
Norway: Vestfjorden and Lofoten from May-September where they typically feed on salmon, herring, mackerel and some marine mammals. During the winter they migrate north following the herring migration, usually in the Skjerøy area of northern Norway in more recent times.
Part of the Norwegian spring-spawning herring (ca 3,5 Million tons) migrates every year closer to the coast of northern Norway to spend the winter. In January-February they travel further south to their spawning grounds along the Norwegian coast. They spend the rest of the year in the open sea and return to northern Norwegian coast the following fall. Killer whales feed on this herring stock and follow them all year round, some pods spend the summer months inside fjords and feed on salmon, local herring, mackerel and marine mammals. The seasonal migration pattern of herring is known to go through major changes. The wintering grounds were in offshore waters in the Norwegian Sea until the late 1960’s. Following a collapse in the herring stock due to over fishing, the wintering grounds moved into the fjord system in northern Norway. Currently the wintering grounds are in Tromsoe, Senja and Andfjorden from the end of October until March. Large amounts of killer whales, humpback whales and fin whales aggregate during this time in those fjords.
Toothed whale, largest dolphin, distributed all over the world, total numbers unknown.
Group formation: Matrilineal groups (6-15)
Size: males 5.6 – 9.8 m, females 4.5-7.7 m, calf 2-2.8 m
Weight: Male 10 tons, female 1.3 – 6.6 tons
Age: Females 80 – 100+ years; males 50-60 years
Sexual maturity: males 15-21 years, females 11-16 years
Gestation: 15-18 months, 3-8 years in between births
Weaning: 1-3 years
Diet: variety of prey (from fish to marine mammals). In Norway, killer whales feed mostly on herring, salmon, mackerel, birds, and seals and sometimes harbor porpoises.
Distribution: worldwide, largest populations in cold temperature to polar coastal waters.
Population size: unknown, min. 50 000
Conservation Status: Data Deficient ver 3.1, Pop. trend: unknown
Threats: Plastic and chemical pollution, man-made noise impacts, entanglement in fishing gear, overfishing, captivity, boat strikes.
Identification: black and white, large distinct dorsal fins (can be 2 meters tall for males), white eye patch, grey/white color saddle patch, black and white curved fluke
Birth: Can happen all year, with a peak in late fall/early winter. A female gives birth to 4-6 calves over a period of 25 years until ca. 40 yrs old. After reproduction, females live for another 20 or more years, meaning they have a significant post-reproductive lifespan, probably to take care of their offspring and group. Newborn killer whales are 1.8–2.2 m long and weigh ca. 180 kg. The mother nurses her young for more than 1 year.
Group formation: Killer whales have very strong social bonds. The young of both sexes stay with their mother and live in small family groups together throughout their lives. This way the males in a group are not necessarily the fathers of the young but the brothers, cousins or uncles.
Smallest group consists of 6-15 animals, a matrifocal group, which consist of a mother and her offspring (both gender).
Clan: Matrifocal groups with similar vocal dialects and members that are related to each other.
Community: Several groups that have been observed together at least once. Members of different communities seem not to travel with each other and do not interbreed (e.g. southern and northern resident whales in British Columbia, Canada).
Travelling:
Whales moving with all animals in the group facing the same direction, either in a line or in groups.
Feeding:
Killer whales have a variety of prey (from fish to marine mammals) and seem to specialize if nutritious prey is available. In Norway, killer whales feed mostly on herring, but they also feed on salmon, mackerel, birds and seals.
However, there are different reported strategies to capture herring:
- Carousel feeding: Whales herd herring into tight ball close to surface and stun them with tail slaps. Fish jumping and scales, pieces of fish and stunned herring can be observed on the surface.
- Subsurface feeding: whales swim back and forth in a limited area, activity of animals on surface, such as porpoising and tail slaps (also in mackerel feeding).
- Travel feeding: During traveling in a line in loose formations, they stop occasionally to feed individually.
- Seine fishing feeding: Killer whales also follow fishing boats seining for herring and feed on the discarded fish of these operations. This behavior occurred and increased during the last years, due to an increase in herring catch quotas and fishing vessels.
- Salmon feeding: groups scans a fjord by echolocation in loose formation, catches happen individually or in small groups, breaches to kill the salmon from above are common.
Socializing (they are always social!):
Whales are engaged in variety of physical interactions and aerial behaviors such as breaching, spy hopping, headstands, lob tailing and flipper slaps. Rolling around, chasing each other, and sexual behaviour, distance between individuals within one body length or direct body contact.
Resting:
Whales float motionless at the surface for a few minutes, or swim slowly in tight groups, diving and surfacing in a regular pattern. Resting whales should be left alone.
Communication:
Killer Whales depend on vocal communication for social interactions, navigation and food location, and therefore produce a variety of sounds: Clicks are predominantly used for echolocation
Whistles occur when whales are in close proximity to each other and stereotyped whistles may be important for close range coordination and maintaining interactions. Calls are used for both close and distant range communication. Calls are stereotypical pulsed sounds that are often characterized by two independently modulated frequency components: a low frequency component (LFC) that has most of its sound energy below 10 kHz, and an upper-frequency component (UFC), which consists of a fundamental frequency ranging from 2 to 12 kHz with sidebands ranging to 100 kHz.
They also produce buzzes and squeaks in the mid frequency range, which often accompany calls.
For a detailed description you can read Heike’s PhD thesis:
“Vocal repertoire of two matrilineal social whale species:
Long-finned Pilot whales (Globicephala melas) and Killer whales (Orcinus orca) in northern Norway”, Heike Vester
2017 University of Goettingen, Germany
Respectful Whale Watching
Threats: whaling (Indonesia, Greenland), plastic pollution, man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar), entanglement in fishing gear, overfishing, captivity.
People working on this topic:
Heike Vester, Ocean Sounds
Madita Zetzsche, Ocean Sounds
Cooperation: Dr. Filipa Samarra, Icelandic Orcas
Long-finned Pilot whale
(Norsk: Grindhval)
Globicephala melas
Norway: all along the Norwegian coast, seen regularly inside the Vestfjord. High peak season from May-September for group gatherings, breeding, and feeding.
Group formation: Matrilineal groups (8-20), superpods (several hundreds to >1000)
Size: males 6.7 m, females 5.7 m, calf 1.8 m
Weight: males 2.3 tons, females 1.3 tons, calf 80 kg
Age: males 35-45 years, females 60 years
Sexual maturity: males ~12 years, females ~8 years
Gestation: 12-16 months, 3-5 years in between births
Weaning: 2-3 years or longer (up to 10 years)
Diet: squid (cephalopods) and some fish (mackerel, cod, Greenland turbot, herring, hake, dogfish).
Distribution: Two sub-species: North Atlantic (Globicephala melas melas) widespread to at least 68° N, and the Southern Hemisphere (Globicephala melas edwardii) from 19–60° S. They do not share the warmer waters with short-finned pilot whales.
Population size: unknown probably circa 1 million global
Conservation Status: Least Concern (2018), Pop. trend: unknown
Threats: whaling (Faroe Islands, Japan, Greenland), plastic and chemical pollution, man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar, shipping), entanglement in fishing gear, drive fisheries, vessel collisions, construction, overfishing, captivity.
Identification: rounded dark grey head and dark body with some white on chest and belly, long fins, dolphin looking dorsal fin.
Here are videos from pilot whales taken in the Vestfjord during our research trips:
Seismic surveys used to find oil, gas and deep sea minerals are one of the biggest problems in the sea nowadays. The coastline of Norway is especially full of these seismic surveys during the summer months when most whales migrate, feed and breed there! These extremely loud sounds (SL 260dB) can kill marine mammals directly, injure them, or scare them away on longer distances, these signals can be heard over 3000 km away!
This video demonstrates seismic surveys 300-500km away and pilot whales in the Vestfjord:
Atlantic white-sided dolphin
(Norsk: Kvitkjeving)
Lagenorhynchus acutus
Norway: along the Norwegian coast mostly in the north, does not overlap with Atlantic white-beaked dolphins, regular visitors to the Vestfjorden, especially June-September (with mackerel), often seen with pilot whales.
Atlantic white sided dolphins (Lagenrhynchus acutus), in Norwegian known as “kvitkjeving”, are regular guests in the Vestfjord and Lofoten, reaching Vesteraalen and the main land. We have been observing their migration and distribution as well as feeding and social behavior since 2006, which also includes taking and collecting pictures for Photo-ID and recording their sounds for vocal repertoire studies.
Basically nothing is known about this species in northern Norway and we are the first to investigate their biology in this area.
We have finished a baseline study, which contains distribution maps and Photo-identification catalog with re-sightings of individuals to find out whether we have a resident population in this area. In addition we will create a vocal repertoire catalog and describe their different sounds, before going into more detailed analysis of stereo-typed whistles and calls.
It is difficult to find the dolphins and we depend on the help of others to send us reports and pictures in order to cover the complete population. We ask you therefore to help us, if you see dolphins please tell us and share your pictures or videos with us!
Atlantic white-sided dolphin are easily recognizable through its yellow stripe along its side. However if you find the other common species, the white beaked dolphins (“kvitnos”), we are equally interested, since it seems that they never overlap their areas.
People working on this project:
Dr. Heike Vester, whale researcher since 2003, Ocean Sounds
Ellyne Hamran, Master of Science Degree in Marine Ecology in 2014 at Nord University: Distribution and vocal behavior of Atlantic white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acutus) in northern Norway. Works now for Ocean Sounds
Prof. Jarle Nordeide, biologist Nord University
Group formation: Social groups/fission fusion (size 30-500)
Size: males 2.8 m, females 2.5 m, calf 1.2 m
Weight: 180-235 kg
Age: males 22 yrs, females 27 yrs
Gestation: 11 months
Sexual maturity: males 7-11 yrs, females 6-12 yrs
Diet: Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus), Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus), Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua), Smelts (Osmeridae spp.), Sand Lances (Ammodytidae spp.), several types of squid (Teuthida spp), Silver Hake (Merluccius bilinearis), Red Hake (Urophycis chuss), and Cephalopods, mostly Long Fin Squid (Loligo pealeii)
Distribution: endemic to the North Atlantic Ocean, cold temperate to subpolar waters from about 35°N in the west and the Brittany coast of France in the east, north to southern Greenland, Iceland, and southern Svalbard. They have been sighted year round in the deep waters in the North Sea. They move to northern latitudes during warmer months and closer to shore in the summer and offshore during the winter. They are oceanic dolphins located near the continental shelf, slope, canyon waters, and concentrate in areas of high seafloor relief, more densely in deeper areas and sometimes near the coast including fjords or inlets. Little is known about the northern limitations of their distribution.
Population: 150,000 – 300,000 global, of which 48,819 in the western north Atlantic Conservation Status: Least Concern ver 3.1, Pop. trend: unknown
Threats: whaling (Faroe Islands, eastern Canada, Greenland), bycatch, pelagic trawls in southwestern Ireland, gillnets, plastic pollution, pollution, man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar), entanglement in fishing gear, overfishing.
Identification: Look for a long tan colored stripe on the sides of the dolphin closer to the fluke. The eye appears to be outlined like eyeliner around it. Can be acrobatic jumping, sometimes in smaller groups of 6+ to larger pods of 100s.
Here is a video from 2014, the first ever to reveal Atlantic white sided dolphins hunting for mackerel in Norway!!
Atlantic white beaked dolphin
Lagenorhynchus albirostris
Norway: offshore along the Norwegian coast, Barents Sea, does not overlap with Atlantic white sided dolphins, not often seen inside the Vestfjord (we have seen it only once in 10 years!).
Group formation: Social groups/fission fusion (size 5-30)
Size: males 3.1 m, females 2.4 m, calf 1.3m
Weight: 180-275 kg, calf 40 kg
Age: up to 39 years
Gestation: 11-12 months
Sexual maturity: 8-10 yrs
Diet: fish, such as herring, mackerel, cod, haddock, capelin, whiting, hake, and sometimes squid, octopus and benthic crustaceans
Distribution: endemic to North Atlantic Ocean, cold temperate to subpolar waters from northern coast of France in the east, north to southern Greenland, Iceland, and Svalbard.
Population: > 100 000
Conservation Status: Least Concern ver 3.1, Pop. trend: unknown
Threats: whaling (Faroe Islands, eastern Canada, Greenland), plastic pollution, chemical pollution, very sensitive to man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar), entanglement in fishing gear, gillnets, cod traps, trawling, overfishing.
Identification: Has a white beak, shaded colors of dark grey and white/light grey on the body.
Harbour porpoise (Norsk: Nise)
Phocoena phocoena
Norway: all along the Norwegian coast inside fjords, local populations, in the Vestfjord area many individuals are seen throughout the year in the same area.
Group formation: Solitary – mother-calf pairs, groups of 2-5 seen
Size: 1.2-1.9m, calf 70-90 centimeters
Weight: 45-75 kilograms, calf 5-6 kilograms
Age: 8-10 years (oldest 24 years)
Gestation: 10-11 months
Weaning: 8-12 months
Sexual maturity: 3-4 years
Diet: small pelagic schooling fish such as herring, capelin, sprat, mackerel, sand eel, & silver hake, also cephalopods (squid & octopus).
Predators: Large sharks, Grey seals, Killer whales
Distribution: North Atlantic, North Pacific and the Black Sea, with several subspecies, they prefer temperate and subarctic waters, live in fjords, bays, estuaries and harbors.
Population: > 100 000 (estimation of 700 000), 25,000 estimate in Norwegian coastal waters
Conservation Status: Least Concern (2008), Pop. trend: unknown
Threats: gillnets, fishing gear, vessel traffic, chemical, plastic, and noise pollution, overfishing, climate change, whaling (Faeroe Islands, Greenland).
Identification: Small (1.2-1.9 meters), gray back with lighter sides & belly; small body size, triangular central medium-sized dorsal fin; dark stripe between mouth & flipper; rapid roll with little to no splash when surfacing, fjords seen from land
Grey seal (Norsk:Havert, Gråsel, or Havkobbe)
Gregarious groups
Norway: Active seal hunting in Norway and 100-200 seals killed in nets each year in Norway (IMR). small colonies along the Norwegian coast, from Rogaland to Finnmark on the outermost islands. In Lofoten only few gathering places during summer and breeding places in the winter, around Henningsvaer 5-10 grey seals gather every summer on a small island.
Group formation: Gregarious groups
Size: males 2.6 meters, females 2 meters, calf 90-110 centimeters
Weight: males 350 kilograms, females 200 kilograms, calf 13-18 kilograms
Age: 25-35 years
Gestation: 11 months
Weaning: 3-4 weeks
Sexual maturity: males 6 years, females 3-5 years
Diet: Generalist feeder, variety of fish and invertebrates
Distribution: 3 populations, North east and west Atlantic, with colonies along the coast of US and Canada, UK, Ireland, Iceland, Norway and the Baltic Sea.
Population: ca 650 000
Conservation Status: Least Concern (2016), Vulnerable in Iceland (2018). trend: increasing
Threats: seal hunting (Norway, Sweden, Finland), chemical and plastic pollution, entanglement in fishing gear, aquaculture, bycatch, overfishing.
Identification: grey and brown fur, sometimes with a pattern of blotches (male dark with light splotches, female light with dark splotches); no ears visible; long muzzle; nostrils parallel; larger and darker than common seal, with flat or convex profile to its head
Walrus (Norsk: Hvalross)
– A rare guest in Lofoten!
Odobenus rosmarus
Norway: there used to be walrus colonies in Norway but they were driven to extinction. Nowadays only males migrate to the Norwegian coast for feeding during the summer months and single males can be seen on a rare occasion, whereas females and calves stay in colonies in the Arctic (Svalbard). In 15 years we have seen 3 male walruses in Lofoten, one of them was shot by the salmon aquaculture, even though walruses do not feed on salmon!
Group formation: Gregarious groups
Size: males 3.6 meters, females 3 meters, calf 1-1.2 meters
Weight: males 1,900 kilograms, females 1,200 kilograms, calf 45-75 kilograms (born April-June)
Age: 40 years
Sexual maturity: males 15 years, females 7-8 years
Gestation: 15-16 months (3 years in between births)
Weaning: 1-3 years
Diet: > 60 genera of marine organisms, including shrimp, crabs, tube worms, soft corals, tunicates, sea cucumbers, various mollusks, and even parts of other pinnipeds, but prefers benthic bivalve mollusks – clams.
Distribution: Circumpolar distribution with 2 subspecies: Atlantic & Pacific. The Atlantic Population lives in the Canadian Arctic, across Greenland, Svalbard, and the western part of Arctic Russia, within 8 sub-populations.
Population: 200,000 Pacific, 25,000 Atlantic
Conservation Status: Vulnerable (2016), Pop. trend: unknown
Threats: seal hunting (native Arctic people), tourism, chemical and plastic pollution, oil and gas drilling, vessel traffic, entanglement in fishing gear, overfishing, global warming (melting of sea ice habitat).
Identification: Cinnamon-brown color; Large, robust & sparsely haired; Dense, short, stiff whiskers on upper lip; long external tusks; male has massive chest, wart-like nodules on neck and chest
Harbour seal (Norsk: Steinkobbe)
Phoca vitulina
Norway: Hunted in Norway, 450 seals quota per year (IMR) and about 500 seals are killed in fishing equipment yearly in Norway (IMR). Small colonies along the coast, in Lofoten no breeding colony exists, only individual harbor seals can be seen feeding.
Group formation: Gregarious groups on haul-out places, alone at sea
Size: males 1.9 meters, females 1.7 meters, calf 70-100 centimeters
Weight: males 170 kilograms, females 130 kilograms, calf 8-12 kilograms
Age: males 25 years, females 35 years
Gestation: 10 months
Sexual maturity: males 6-7 years, females 4-5 years; breeding annually
Diet: Generalist feeder, variety of fish and invertebrates
Distribution: North Atlantic and North Pacific with local populations. Mostly found in coastal waters.
Population: 500 000+, 10,000 in Norway plus 2,000 in Svalbard
Conservation Status: Least Concern (2016). Vulnerable in Svalbard and Critically Endangered in Iceland and Greenland. Trend: stable
Threats: seal hunting (Norway, UK, Iceland, Greenland, US), illnesses, chemical and plastic pollution, bycatch, entanglement in fishing gear, conflict with fisheries and aquaculture, parasites, vessel traffic, climate change, overfishing, and habitat destruction.
Identification: Variably tan to blue-gray-silver with scattered dark spots, or dark with light rings; underparts usually lighter; short body & flippers; short, dog-like snouts; V-shaped nostrils
European otter (Norsk: Oter)
Lutra lutra
Norway: Otters are found throughout the country, but are only considered a common species along the coast north of Central Norway. South of this, they are relatively rare and scattered, but nevertheless pop up in a variety of locations.
Group formation: Principally solitary territorial, females with 1-4 cubs
Size: 60-90cm (excluding tail of 35-45cm); males larger than females
Weight: 7-12kg (large old male may reach up to 17kg)
Age: 5-10 years
Gestation: 60-64 days (non-seasonal breeders)
Weaning: 14 weeks
Sexual maturity: males 18 months, females 24 months
Diet: fish (particularly eels and salmonids), waterbirds, amphibians and crustaceans
Distribution: most widely distributed otter species, from parts of Asia and Africa and across Europe.
Population: unknown
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (2020), Pop. trend: decreasing
Threats: chemical and plastic pollution, entanglement in fishing gear, overfishing, trapping for fur, coastal development, dams, climate change, and conflict with agriculture and aquaculture.
Identification: A large semi-aquatic mustelid with long, thick tapering tail; Fur typically dark brown, appearing almost black in some individuals when wet; Large brown/black nose; small eyes; small rounded ears that only just protrude beyond fur; webbed feet; head broad & flat with long whiskers; short legs give typical low-slung mustelid appearance