Gastroliths in the harp seal Phoca Groenlandica

Abstract

An adult harp seal, caught by accident in a gill net during the peak of the seal invasions along the northern coasts of Norway (1986/87), was found to have eaten 2.466 kg of stones with masses up to 265 g. Different theories to why harp seals on occasion deliberately eat stones, with particular emphasis on the hypothesis that these may aid in the physical breakdown of fish flesh and hard fish bones, are discussed.