Hauling-out

Hauling-out is the behaviour, especially associated with seals, of temporarily leaving the water between periods of foraging activity for sites on land or ice. Hauling-out is necessary in seals for mating and giving birth, but not all haul-out sites are for reproduction. Other benefits of hauling-out may include predator avoidance, thermal regulation, social activity, parasite reduction and rest. There is much variety in haul-out patterns between different seal species. [Hoelzel, A. Rus. (2002). "Marine Mammal Biology: An Evolutionary Approach". Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 9780632052325. p.197.] Haul-out sites may be segregated by age and sex within the same species. [Kovacs, Kit M.; Jonas, Krista M.; & Welke, Sylvia E. (1990). Sex and age segregation by "Phoca vitulina concolor" at haul-out sites during the breeding season in the Passamaquoddy Bay region, New Brunswick. "Marine Mammal Science" 6(3): 204-214.] Australian Fur Seals breed on only nine islands in Bass Strait but also occupy up to 50 haul-out sites in south-east Australian waters. [Gales, Nick; Gales, Nicholas; Hindell, Mark; & Kirkwood, Roger. (2003). "Marine Mammals: Fisheries, Tourism and Management Issues". CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 9780643069534. p.259.]

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