Elephant puppets grey seal update
4The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or "earless seals". The only species classified in the genus Halichoerus, it is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Latin, Halichoerus grypus means "hook-nosed sea pig". Its name is spelled gray seal in the United States; it is also known as Atlantic seal[2] and the horsehead seal.[2][3]
The type specimen of H. g. grypus (Zoological Museum of Copenhagen specimen ZMUC M11-1525, caught in 1788 off the island of Amager, Danish part of the Baltic Sea) was believed lost for many years, but 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 (because it was first described in Otto Fabricius' book on the animals in Greenland: Fauna Groenlandica). 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.[6]
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 separate subspecies.[7]
This is a fairly large seal, with bulls in the eastern Atlantic populations reaching 1.95–2.3 m (6 ft 5 in – 7 ft 7 in) long and weighing 170–310 kg (370–680 lb); the cows are much smaller, typically 1.6–1.95 m (5 ft 3 in – 6 ft 5 in) long and 100–190 kg (220–420 lb) in weight.[8] Individuals from the western Atlantic are often much larger, with males averaging up to 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) and reaching a weight of as much as 400 kg (880 lb) and females averaging up to 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) and sometimes weighing up to 250 kg (550 lb). Record-sized bull grey seals can reach about 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in) in length.[9][10] A common average weight in Great Britain was found to be about 233 kg (514 lb) for males and 154.6 kg (341 lb) for females whereas in Nova Scotia, Canada, adult males averaged 294.6 kg (649 lb) and adult females averaged 224.5 kg (495 lb).[8][11][12] It is distinguished from the smaller harbor seal by its straight head profile, nostrils set well apart, and fewer spots on its body.[13][14] Wintering hooded seals can be confused with grey seals as they are about the same size and somewhat share a large-nosed look but the hooded has a paler base colour and usually evidences a stronger spotting.[15] Grey seals lack external ear flaps and characteristically have large snouts.[16] Bull greys have larger noses and a less curved profile than harbor 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.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the grey seal breeds in several colonies on and around the coasts. Notably large colonies are at Blakeney Point and Horsey Gap in Norfolk, Donna Nook in Lincolnshire, the Farne Islands off the Northumberland Coast (about 6,000 animals), Orkney and North Rona.[17] off the north coast of Scotland, Lambay Island off the coast of Dublin in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man, Ramsey Island (off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales). In the German Bight, colonies exist off the islands Sylt, Amrum and on Heligoland.[18]
In the western North Atlantic, the grey seal is typically found in large numbers in the coastal waters of the Maritime Provinces of Canada and south to Nantucket in the United States. In coastal Canada, it is typically seen in areas such as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. The largest colony in the world is at Sable Island, Nova Scotia. In the United States, it is found year-round off the coast of New England, in particular Maine and Massachusetts. It has also been observed in the waters around Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. Archaeological evidence confirms grey seals 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.[19] Its natural range now extends much further south than previously thought, with confirmed sightings off of North Carolina. Also, there is a report by Farley Mowat of historic breeding colonies as far south as Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.[3]
An isolated population exists in the Baltic Sea,[1] forming the H. grypus balticus subspecies.
Besides these very large colonies, many much smaller ones exist, some of which are well-known tourist attractions, despite their small size. Such colonies include one on the Carrack rocks, Cornwall.