what is seal molting

Seal molting is a natural process where seals shed their fur, also known as molting, and replace it with a new coat. Elephant seals, for example, undergo a "catastrophic molt" where their fur and top layer of skin come off in large patches. During molting, seals can stay on land for up to a month. Female and juvenile seals take about a month to molt, and most will be gone before the sub-adult and adult males arrive to molt sometime between June. It is important to give molting seals a wide berth as they can be stressed and unpredictable during this time.