If you're here, you probably love reading about seals ...
The Seal Librarian will dive down to the deepest archives in search of interesting books and papers, brushing rusted old library ladders on his way to salvage treasures of pinniped knowledge.
Explore a wide range of seal-themed texts, from delightful reads for young pinniped enthusiasts to in-depth scientific tomes. And if you’re ready to plunge even deeper, you’ll find a curated selection of accessible research papers to satisfy your scholarly whiskers.
Immerse yourself in seal wisdom. The library is open.
A Seal Named Patches
by Roxanne Beltran & Patrick Robinson
Story for all ages about scientists searching for a Weddell seal named Patches, with lots of info about Antarctic seals and research.
The main story is very easy to follow, but there’s a ton of interesting info in the captions of the beautiful big-format photos of the seals and the Antarctic landscape (and sometimes the tech used there).
Look at it for the cuteness of Weddell seals, and you might find out something you didn’t know yet!
Book stats
| Fun | 🎉🎉🎉 |
| Heartbreak | - |
| Learning | 📘📘 |
| Visuals | 🎨🎨🎨🎨 |
Year published: 2017
Pinnipeds: Weddell seal
Organizations: author Roxanne Beltran of Beltran Lab
Seal Doctor
by Ken Jones
Offers a glimpse into the early days of seal rescue and the origins of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in the form of a personal account.
The style of the book might be as outdated as the methods of seal care used there, but it delivers a heart-felt account of a time when nobody knew what they were doing when taking in the so-called “orphans of the sea”, and how much work went into building up a whole seal rescue and rehab operation while just learning on the fly.
The book spans the first decades of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, with some photos made during this time, showing some of their first residents.
Book stats
| Fun | 🎉 |
| Heartbreak | 💔💔💔 |
| Learning | 📘📘 |
| Visuals | 🎨 |
Year published: 1978 (partial reprint)
Pinnipeds: grey seal, California sea lion
Organizations: author Ken Jones founded the Cornish Seal Sanctuary
A Year With the Seals
by Alix Morris
A curious newcomer spends a year with seals, uncovering their secrets and our tangled bond with them in this well-balanced wildlife memoir.
If you want to read just one book about seals, this could well be it. It’s very US-focused, but turns out to be a comprehensive compendium of seal conservation and the public perception of seals, experienced from a newcomer’s point of view.
Information about seals in the wild, classic sealebrities, and controversy regarding fisheries (and sharks!) results a balanced, nuanced read, which is ultimately pro-seal. You’ll “regret nothing” if you pull this one from the shelf, and that is also a favorite quote from the book. IYKYK.
Book stats
| Fun | 🎉🎉🎉 |
| Heartbreak | 💔💔 |
| Learning | 📘📘📘 |
| Visuals | 🎨 |
Marine Mammals: the Evolving Human Factor
by Guiseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara & Bernd Würsig (ed.)
Collection of essays about the influence of humans on marine mammals, as protectors as well as hugely detrimental factors.
The essays in this book vary in style as much as in depth and content, from very technical and data-crunching up to ethical and philosophical considerations about the value of non-human lives. Cetaceans are clearly dominating the topics, with pinnipeds underrepresented, but not absent.
Nonetheless, this is an enlightening exploration of human policies and human impact on the ocean and marine mammals, outlining ways for effective conservation. Notable essays are on the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and similar zones, considering marine mammals often migrate, on marine mammals in captivity and as factors for tourism, and on conservations wins and near-misses.
Book stats
| Fun | 🎉 |
| Heartbreak | 💔💔 |
| Learning | 📘📘📘📘📘 |
| Visuals | 🎨 |
Year published: 2022
Pinnipeds: multiple species
Organizations: –
Intraguild predation in sympatric seals and the effect on a declining population
Izzy Langley, Andrew Brownlow, Debbie J. F. Russell
October 2025
read at: Journal of Animal Ecology
🐟 Seal Snacks
⚠️ Seal Struggles
It’s a seal-eat-seal world out there. This paper looks into impacts on harbor seal populations if grey seals prey on them.
This study investigates intraguild predation (IGP) between grey seals and harbour seals in overlapping habitats with the help of stranding data compared to population trends. Researchers found that adult male grey seals were preying on harbour seals especially during the breeding season – a behavior that amplifies population decline by removing reproductive individuals. The paper highlights how a few specialist predators within the same guild can destabilize vulnerable populations, raising concerns for conservation efforts.
Paper stats
| Species | harbor seal • grey seal |
| Setting | Sympatric coastal habitats |
| Method | Field observations, ecological modeling |
| Why it matters | Conservation impact, predator-prey dynamics |
Sensitivity of the Mystacial Vibrissal System of Harbour Seals to Size Differences of Single Vortex Rings
Yvonne Krüger, Wolf Hanke, Lars Miersch, Guido Dehnhardt
September 2025
read at: Journal of Experimental Biology
🧠 Seal Superpowers
An experiment to find out if a harbor seal can detect small size differences in underwater rings created by fish evasion maneuvers.
This study dives deep into the way harbor seals use their vibrissae to catch prey, even if it’s implementing evasive strategies by obscuring its flight path. This is reproduced in an experimental setting by creating artificial vortex rings of different sizes. The detailed description of the experiment, equipment, and process offers a small glimpse into the effort it takes the seals and the researchers to get results without being able to directly communicate. While the neuro-sensory details of seal whiskers never cease to amaze, the tenacity of those who reveal those superpowers is its own kind of elevated skill.
Paper stats
| Species | harbor seal |
| Setting | Controlled experiments |
| Method | behavioral testing |
| Why it matters | Predator-prey dynamics, sensory biology |
Pinniped Training for Research in Zoos
Alyx Elder, Katherine Todd, Emma McLoughlin, Gary Jones, Robyn Grant
January 2025
read at: Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research
🧠 Seal Superpowers
📖 Seal Stories
Aquariums provide a great environment for research, as this case-study shows, and their animals are usually pre-trained.
In this study, kind of a meta-experiment, pinnipeds were trained for sensory discrimination tasks in an aquarium/zoo, based on their existing training, to show how zoos and aquariums could be research partners for universities. The researchers used positive reinforcement to teach pinnipeds to respond to visual and tactile cues, helping them study sensory perception in a stress-free, cooperative way, while noting huge differences between individuals and their performances. The study highlights how animal training can support ethical, high-quality research.
Paper stats
| Species | harbor seal • Cape fur seal |
| Setting | Zoo-based research |
| Method | Positive reinforcement, visual/tactile tasks |
| Why it matters | Ethical research, enrichment, sensory science |