Grey seal

Written by Chris

Wikimedia image / Adam Cuerden (Halichoerus grypus) If you happen across a seal at the beach or spot one in the water, it may be difficult to determine the species, especially from afar. Grey seals are often distinguished from other seal species by their long snouts that resemble the head of a horse. Although most of what we see of grey seals is a head bobbing in the water offshore, they are quite large animals. In fact, grey seals are among the largest species of seal present in the waters off of New England, reaching sizes of over 8 feet long! Male grey seals are larger than females and have far more pronounced, elongated noses. On average, males are 7-8 feet long and weigh between 660-770 pounds. Females are typically about 6.5 feet long and weigh between 330-450 pounds. Male grey seals have a dark grey or brown coat with lighter, irregular spots and females have a lighter tan colored coat and dark irregular spots. During mating season, male and female grey seals gather together to form large rookeries. Pups are born on shore in areas along the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts from December until early February. Newborn pups have white, soft-looking coats that are later shed as the adult coat, with either male or female coloration, grows in. The pup will stay on land for a short time, surviving off its fat reserves, until it is ready to head out to sea to hunt on its own. Grey seals main diet consists of fish, but they will also eat invertebrates such as bivalves and crustaceans. In the presence of a large school of fish, seals may group together to round up the fish and feed together. Adult grey seals can generally be seen around New England from May to November. Most grey seals prefer to inhabit rocky shorelines or uninhabited offshore islands. It is not unusual to see a single seal or group of seals hauled out on the beach instead of in the water, as they do not need to be in the water all the time. In fact, seals have to spend time out of the water to dry off and warm up or else they will freeze in the cold ocean water. If you have ever watched a seal move along the beach, it might have made you laugh. Seals do not have the ability to rotate their hindquarters under their bodies and “walk” like sea lions do. Instead, seals move very awkwardly on land, inching along on their bellies. Like all marine mammals, grey seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. It is, therefore, illegal to harass or harm grey seals. And, cute as they are, seals can be aggressive and they do have quite sharp teeth. So, if you notice a seal on the beach or in the water, keep your distance. Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 768 Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Comment smaller | bigger Write the displayed characters Add Comment

Last Updated ( Monday, 10 March 2008 )

 

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