Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Île d'Entrée, one of the Magdalen group, greeted Jacques Cartier on his 16th-century voyage of discovery when he
marveled at the gulf's natural wonders.
Gray seals also exploit the icefields in the gulf for breeding, though not in as great numbers as harp seals.
They give birth on the newly formed ice in the eastern part of the Northumberland Strait and along the western
shore of Cape Breton Island. Small whelping concentrations are also found on Amet Island in the Northumber-
land Strait and on Deadman Island in the Magdalen Island group.
HOODED SEAL
Pups are born on the ice from late December to February, in widely scattered groups. The females aggress-
ively defend their young, which may fall prey to bald eagles and ravens if the birthing grounds are close to the
mainland. At the end of the fifteen to twenty-day nursing period females become receptive to mating; males
then leave the colony, except for a few old, dominant animals. When the gale-force winds that whip the gulf in
winter cause the break-up of the ice, females drift with their young out of the gulf. Before returning to their
