Gray seals, also known as Atlantic seals or horsehead seals, are native to the north Atlantic Ocean. They are sociable animals that form colonies for breeding and feeding.
Where do gray seals live?
The gray seals featured on this camera are found on Seal Island, off the coast of Maine. There are two distinct populations and distributions of gray seals. One is found in the western north Atlantic along the coasts of Canada, down to New England. The other population is found in the eastern north Atlantic, primarily along the coasts of the UK, Iceland, Norway and the Faroe Islands.
What do gray seals eat?
Gray seals feed on a wide variety of marine animals such as fish, squid and crustaceans. Cod, flatfish, skates and herring are their primary prey and adult gray seals can consume up to 12 pounds of fish in a single day.
How big are gray seals?
Bulls generally measure around 6 feet in length. Cows are typically 4.5 feet in length.
When do gray seals breed?
Different populations of gray seals breed at different times of the year. The Canadian population featured on this live seal cam breeds from mid-December to February. Caves, sandy beaches, rocky islands and ice floes tend to be favorite breeding locations for female gray seals.
After a gestation period of 11 month, females come to land just a few days before giving birth and will not feed for several weeks while lactating. Pups are born with a longhaired white coat which they will shed three to four weeks after birth. Pups nurse on their mothers' highly caloric milk (60% fat) for nearly 3 weeks. During the nursing period, the pup will gain nearly four pounds per day!
After the pup is weaned, the mother will leave the pup to fend for itself and then mate again. Seal mating can take place on land or in the water and dominant males can mate with up to 10 females; sub-dominant males mate with just one female. Seals will return to the rookery each year to start the breeding and mating process over again.