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Gray seal - HALICHOERUS GRYPUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Seal": "Seal" comes from the Old English word "seolh," for the animal.
Location: The North Atlantic, south as far as Nova Scotia and France.
Habitat: Coastal waters among reefs and rocky shores.
Description: Coat color is silvery to dusky gray and varies from individual to individual. When the gray seal is wet it looks black. The neck is bulky and fat, and has three conspicuous folds of skin. The claws on the front flippers are long, narrow, and curved. Total length up to 10 feet, weight to 660 pounds, with females about 75% of length and 80% of weight of the males.
Behavior: This is a gregarious species, living and feeding in groups. After the females climb ashore to give birth, the males battle for the best territory and the largest harems. Generally there are six or seven females in a harem.
Reproduction: The reproductive period varies widely from one population to another, but gestation is usually somewhat less than twelve months. The single pup nurses for one to two months, and becomes independent shortly thereafter.
Note: There is no migratory pattern, but young males disperse and it is thought that they stay at sea for the first two years of their life. They feed on fish.
Go to the Carnivora Page to learn more about the all the meat-eating animals.
Or go to the Seal Index to study other
seals.
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