Grey Seal
About
We are extremely lucky in Cornwall to routinely see grey seals, a globally rare seal species only present in the north Atlantic. The UK is home to 38% of the entire world’s population based on pup production. Despite this there are still fewer grey seals in the UK than red squirrels.
On the IUCN Red List for endangered species, grey seals are protected by the Habitats Directive in the EU and the Conservation of Seals Act in the UK and have legal protection in Special Areas of Conservation and Special Sites of Scientific Interest.
Grey seals can be found all around the Cornish coast – at sea or hauled out on beaches, offshore rocks or hidden away in remote sea caves. These places are established seal hot spots routinely visited by seals as they move around the Celtic Sea.
Incredibly adapted for life at sea, grey seals dive to depths of 120m (slowing their heart from a rate similar to yours to just a few beats a minute and using oxygen stored in their both their blood and muscles) they forage on the sea bed for their preferred prey species – sand eels and dragonets.
Quick Facts
Length: up to 2.6m
Weight: Males up to 300kg, females up to 200kg.
Average Lifespan: 30-40 years
Favourite Food: fish (mostly sand eels,hake, whiting, cod, haddock, pollock, and flatfish), crustaceans, squid and octopuses.
Grey seals are amazing divers and can stay under water for up to 40 minutes at a time. When they dive they breathe out most of the air in their lungs so it doesn’t make them float, and use their specially adapted circulation and respiratory systems which allows them to hold lots of oxygen in their blood and muscles.
I.D.
Grey Seal
Harbour/Common Seal
Harbour/Common Seal
Grey Seals have a larger head than Common Seals, and look more like a labrador! Their markings are in the form of blotches. Females are usually lighter and more patterned, males darker and plainer.
Harbour/Common Seal
Harbour/Common Seal
Harbour/Common Seal
Common Seals have small heads compared to their body size, with a more prominent forehead, and flatter nose, making them look more like a cat. Their markings are tiny dots and rings. Common Seals tend to be smaller than Grey Seals.
Pupping
A new born pup...
A new born pup...
A new born pup...
In the autumn, pregnant grey seals, having spent the previous nine months fattening up at sea, haul themselves on to our beaches to give birth. Occasionally twins are born, but most seal pups are onlys. Weighing about 15kg at birth, pups have just three weeks to quadruple in size before their mother leaves them to finally feed herself.
2-3 weeks old...
A new born pup...
A new born pup...
Having ballooned thanks to their mother's fat rich milk (up to 60%), the pup must now find its own food, and will venture into the sea for the first time. Having not been taught how to hunt, seal pups have been found with stones and other ocean debris in their stomachs. Increasingly, this includes plastic waste, although entanglement in plastic items such as flying rings and fishing gear is the main threat to their survival.
Fun Fact
Grey seals are not big fans of chilly water!
Just like us, grey seals feel the cold most acutely in their extremities and more sensitive areas. You can spot seals 'banana' as the cold water encroaches on their haul out. It's only once their bodies have acclimatised that they are ready to fully enter the water.
This is one reason to keep well away from resting seals to avoid scarring them into the water before they are ready.
Below is some advice released by the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust for water users and wildlife enthusiasts....
Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust
The CSGRT is a multi-award winning, evidence-based marine conservation charity. What they do really works. They support seal conservation groups across the UK, as well a large network of active citizen scientists across South West communities, who routinely survey seals on their local patch. This gives seals a voice and enables CSGRT to protect them and their ocean home. For news, activities, resources and more, please visit the CSGRT website.
CSGRT Schools' Creative Competition
Get Involved!
Teachers can email CSGRT for leaflets and other resources to help young people to get involved in protecting our seal neighbours seals@cornwallsealgroup.co.uk