Harbor seal pup risk variant when disturbed?

• A. The pup becomes friendly toward boats
• B. The mother may abandon the pup
• C. Disturbance can cause maternal abandonment
• D. There is no effect

Answer: (B)

When harbor seal pups are disturbed, the mother often leaves the pup to continue foraging or to move to safety. That withdrawal can lead to the pup being abandoned, which greatly lowers its chances of getting enough milk and staying warm, increasing the risk of starvation or hypothermia. So the most accurate description of the risk to a disturbed pup is that the mother may abandon the pup. This reflects a direct consequence that has real, negative implications for the pup’s survival. The other ideas—pups becoming friendly toward boats, or there being no effect—don't reflect how disturbance affects seal behavior or pup survival.