The cause of death of this seal is unknown.It could have been hit by a boat.	It had been providing food for an eagle several days before this picture was taken: see video:

The total harbour seal population in the eastern north Pacific is estimated to be  330,000, and in California the estimated population was 40,000 in 1997.  They usually are found in small groups, but sometimes occur in numbers of up to 500.

RANGE/HABITAT:  Harbour seals are found across the Northern Hemisphere in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  In the Northeast Pacific, they range from Alaska to Baja California, in Mexico. They favor near-shore coastal waters and frequent sandy beaches, mudflats, bays, and estuaries.

Harbour seals spend about half their time on land and half in water, and they sometimes sleep in water.  They can dive to 1,500 feet (457 m) for up to 40 minutes, although their average dive lasts 3 to 7 minutes.  They are opportunistic feeders and hunt for sole, flounder, sculpin, hake, cod, herring, octopus, and squid.

DESCRIPTION:  Harbour seals have spotted coats in a variety of  shades from silver gray, black to dark brown.  They reach 5 to 6 feet (1/7-1.9 m.) in length and weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg).  Males are slightly larger than females.  They are true, or crawling seals, having no external ear flaps.  True seals also have small flippers, and must move on land by flopping along on their bellies.