Raphael's abstract, Swimmer of the North? (4,4)

I believe the answer is:

harp seal

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'swimmer of the north?' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't understand how one could define the other.

'raphael's abstract' is the wordplay.
'abstract' indicates anagramming the letters.
'raphaels' with letters rearranged gives 'HARP-SEAL'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for harp seal that I've seen is " aquatic mammal".)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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