Biodiversity & Conservation

Grey seal - Halichoerus grypus - General information

Halichoerus grypus

Image Dan Lear - The grey seal Halichoerus grypus with pup, Skomer. Image width ca 3.5 m.
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Distribution map

Halichoerus grypus recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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  • Berne
  • EC_Habitats

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Rose Edwards Text page icon Refereed by:

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Mammalia Seals, walrus, dolphin and whales
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland The north east Atlantic population is concentrated around the British Isles, especially Scotland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Halichoerus grypus feeds in inshore benthic habitats, on a wide variety of fishes and invertebrates. Grey seals use remote islands, bays and caves as 'haul out' areas to give birth to their pups or between foraging trips for food. The main breeding sites are shown on the above map.
Text page icon Description The grey seal is a medium sized, robust bodied, seal with a rectangular horse-like head and small widely separated eyes. The nostrils form a W-pattern due to them being parallel and wide apart. They have a long muzzle, wide at the end, with a fleshy area around the whiskers that obscures the lower jaw. In adult males the top of the muzzle is convex, whereas in adult females and pups it is flat. Adults can grow up to 2.3 m long, with newborn pups being ca 1 m long. Adult males are much bigger and heavier than females, have a bigger broader head and are also darker in colour. The coat is dark grey on the back and light grey underneath and has irregular pattern of spots or blotches.

This review can be cited as follows:

Rose Edwards 2008. Halichoerus grypus. Grey seal. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 31/07/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3435>