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grey seal l
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For the Elton John song, see grey seal l (song).
grey seal l
Male gray seal marine mammal animal halichoerus grypus.jpg
Male
grey seal l Mother & Pup (158097807).jpg
Female with pup
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) grey seal 1 grey seal
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Clade: Pinnipedia
Family: Phocidae
Genus: Halichoerus
Nilsson, 1820
Species: H. grypus
Binomial name
Halichoerus grypus
(Fabricius, 1791)
grey seal l Halichoerus grypus distribution map.png
grey seal l range. grey seal 1 grey seal
The grey seal l (Halichoerus grypus, meaning "hooked-nosed sea pig") is found on
both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family
Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus
Halichoerus. Its name is spelled gray seal in the US; it is also known as
Atlantic seal grey seal 2 grey seal and the horsehead seal. grey seal 2 grey
seal grey seal 3 grey seal
Contents
1 Taxonomy
2 Description
3 Ecology and distribution
4 Diet
5 Reproduction
6 Status
6.1 Captivity
7 In popular culture
8 References
9 External links
Taxonomy
There are two recognized subspecies of this seal: grey seal 4 grey seal
Halichoerus grypus grypus (Baltic Sea), earlier known as H. g. macrorhynchus and
H. g. balticus
Halichoerus grypus atlantica (North Atlantic)
The type specimen of H. g. grypus (specimen ZMUC M11-1525, caught off the island
of Amager) was rediscovered in 2016, and a DNA test showed it belonged to a
Baltic Sea specimen rather than from Greenland, as had previously been assumed.
The name H. g. grypus was therefore transferred to the Baltic subspecies
(replacing H. g. macrorhynchus), and the name H. g. atlantica resurrected for
the Atlantic subspecies. grey seal 5 grey seal
Molecular studies have indicated that the eastern and western Atlantic
populations have been genetically distinct for at least one million years, and
could potentially be considered as separate subspecies. grey seal 6 grey seal
Description
It is a large seal, with bulls in the eastern Atlantic populations reaching
2.5–3.3 m (8.2–10.8 ft) long and weighing 170–310 kg (370–680 lb); the cows are
much smaller, typically 1.6–2.0 m (5.2–6.6 ft) long and 100–190 kg (220–420 lb)
in weight. Individuals from the western Atlantic are often much larger, males
reaching 400 kg (880 lb) and females weighing up to 250 kg (550 lb). grey seal 7
grey seal It is distinguished from the harbor seal by its straight head profile,
nostrils set well apart, and fewer spots on its body. grey seal 8 grey seal grey
seal 9 grey seal Gray seals lack external ear flaps and characteristically have
large snouts. grey seal 10 grey seal Bull Greys have larger noses and a less
curved profile than common seal bulls. Males are generally darker than females,
with lighter patches and often scarring around the neck. Females are silver grey
to brown with dark patches.
Ecology and distribution
Group of grey seal ls on sands at Stiffkey, Norfolk
grey seal ls on the Jökulsárlón glacial lake, Iceland
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the grey seal l breeds in several colonies on
and around the coasts. Notably large colonies are at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire,
the Farne Islands off the Northumberland Coast (about 6,000 animals), Orkney and
North Rona. grey seal 11 grey seal off the north coast of Scotland, Lambay
Island off the coast of Dublin and Ramsey Island off the coast of Pembrokeshire.
In the German Bight, colonies exist off the islands Sylt and Amrum and on
Heligoland. grey seal 12 grey seal
In the Western North Atlantic, the grey seal l is typically found in large
numbers in the coastal waters of Canada and south to about New Jersey in the
United States. In Canada, it is typically seen in areas such as the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, Newfoundland, the Maritimes, and Quebec. The largest colony in the
world is at Sable Island, NS. In the United States it is found year-round off
the coast of New England, in particular Maine and Massachusetts, and slightly
less frequently in the Middle Atlantic States. Archaeological evidence confirms
grey seal ls in southern New England with remains found on Block Island,
Martha's Vineyard and near the mouth of the Quinnipiac River in New Haven,
Connecticut. grey seal 13 grey seal Its natural range now extends much further
south than previously recognized with confirmed sightings in North Carolina.
Also, there is a report by Farley Mowat of historic breeding colonies as far
south as Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. grey seal 3 grey seal
An isolated population exists in the Baltic Sea, grey seal 1 grey seal forming
the H. grypus balticus subspecies.
Besides these very large colonies, many much smaller ones exist, some of which
are well known as tourist attractions despite their small size. Such colonies
include one on the Carrack rocks in Cornwall.
During the winter months grey seal ls can be seen hauled out on rocks, islands,
and shoals not far from shore, occasionally coming ashore to rest. In the spring
recently weaned pups and yearlings occasionally strand on beaches after becoming
separated from their group.
Diet
Captive grey seal l being fed, showing snout shape
The grey seal l feeds on a wide variety of fish, mostly benthic or demersal
species, taken at depths down to 70 m (230 ft) or more. Sand eels (Ammodytes spp)
are important in its diet in many localities. Cod and other gadids, flatfish,
herring, grey seal 14 grey seal wrasse grey seal 15 grey seal and skates grey
seal 16 grey seal are also important locally. However, it is clear that the grey
seal l will eat whatever is available, including octopus grey seal 17 grey seal
and lobsters. grey seal 18 grey seal The average daily food requirement is
estimated to be 5 kg (11 lb), though the seal does not feed every day and it
fasts during the breeding season.
Recent observations and studies from Scotland, The Netherlands and Germany show
that grey seal ls will also prey and feed on large animals like harbour seals
and harbour porpoises. grey seal 19 grey seal grey seal 20 grey seal grey seal
21 grey seal In 2014, a male grey seal l in the North Sea was documented and
filmed killing and cannibalizing 11 pups of its own species over the course of a
week. Similar wounds on the carcasses of pups found elsewhere in the region
suggest that cannibalism and infanticide may not be uncommon in grey seal ls.
Male grey seal ls may engage in such behavior potentially as a way of increasing
reproductive success through access to easy prey without leaving prime
territory. grey seal 22 grey seal
Reproduction
Cow (l) and bull (r) gray seals mating, Donna Nook, Lincolnshire, U.K.
Few days old pup
The pups are born at around the mass of 14 kg. grey seal 23 grey seal They are
born in autumn (September to November) in the eastern Atlantic and in winter
(January to February) in the west, with a dense, soft silky white fur; at first
small, they rapidly fatten up on their mothers' extremely fat-rich milk. The
milk can consist of up to 60% fat. grey seal 23 grey seal Within a month or so
they shed the pup fur, grow dense waterproof adult fur, and leave for the sea to
learn to fish for themselves. In recent years, the number of grey seal ls has
been on the rise in the west and in the U.S. grey seal 24 grey seal and Canada
grey seal 25 grey seal there have been calls for a seal cull.
Status
After near extirpation from hunting grey seal ls for oil, meat and skins in the
United States, sightings began to increase in the late 1980s. Bounties were paid
on all kinds of seals up until 1945 in Maine and 1962 in Massachusetts. grey
seal 26 grey seal One year after Congress passed the 1972 Marine Mammal
Protection Act preventing the harming or harassing of seals, a survey of the
entire Maine coast found only 30 grey seal ls. grey seal 26 grey seal At first
grey seal l populations increased slowly then rebounded from islands off Maine
to Monomoy Island and Nantucket Island off of southern Cape Cod. The
southernmost breeding colony was established on Muskeget Island with five pups
born in 1988 and over 2,000 counted in 2008. grey seal 27 grey seal According to
a genetics study, the United States population has formed as a result of
recolonization by Canadian seals. grey seal 27 grey seal By 2009, thousands of
grey seal ls had taken up residence on or near popular swimming beaches on outer
Cape Cod, resulting in sightings of great white sharks drawn close to shore to
hunt the seals. grey seal 28 grey seal A count of 15,756 gray seals in
southeastern Massachusetts coastal waters was made in 2011 by the National
Marine Fisheries Service. grey seal 29 grey seal Also grey seal ls are seen
increasingly in New York and New Jersey waters, and it is expected that they
will establish colonies further south.
In the UK seals are protected under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, however
it does not apply to Northern Ireland. In the UK there have also been calls for
a cull from some fishermen, claiming that stocks have declined due to the seals.
The population in the Baltic Sea has increased about 8% per year between 1990
and the mid-2000s with the numbers becoming stagnant since 2005. As of 2011
hunting grey seal ls is legal in Sweden and Finland with 50% of the quota being
used. Other anthropogenic causes of death include drowning in fishing gear. grey
seal 30 grey seal
Captivity
grey seal ls have proved amenable to life in captivity and are commonly found
zoo animals around their native range, particularly in Europe. Traditionally
they were popular circus animals and often used in performances such as
balancing and display acts. At least one grey seal l, probably escaped from
captivity, has been observed in the Black Sea near the coasts of Ukraine. grey
seal 31 grey seal
In popular culture
Elton John performs a song called " grey seal l" (lyrics by Bernie Taupin) on
the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The song attributes wisdom to the seal:
"And tell me, grey seal l, how does it feel / To be so wise / To see through
eyes / That only see what's real?" grey seal 32 grey seal
Scottish scholar David Thomson published, in 1954, his study of the grey seal ls,
The People of the Sea: A Journey in Search of the Seal Legend. He discusses "the
Celtic seal legend - that the seal was once human, and can sometimes resume
human form - and about the Celtic fishing families who still tell and sing the
tales and songs about the selchie, or gray Atlantic seal." The Secret of Roan
Inish is a 1994 American/Irish film written and directed by John Sayles, which
deals with the same materials.
In 2003, the Finnish film The grey seal ls of the Baltic added facts to the
legends.
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