Grey seal

Scientific name: Halichoerus grypus

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Grey seals have a robust, streamlined body with a distinctive elongated head and Roman nose profile. Males are typically darker (silver-grey to black) than females (lighter grey to brown), and males are notably larger with thicker necks and more pronounced features.

Size and weight

Males: 200–310 kg, 200–240 cm; females: 100–190 kg, 160–200 cm.

Habitat

Grey seals inhabit rocky and sandy coastlines, offshore islands, and sea caves across cold to temperate waters. They haul out on exposed rocks, beaches, and ice floes in both breeding and non-breeding seasons.

Distribution

Grey seals occur throughout the North Atlantic, with populations around the British Isles, Scandinavia, the Baltic, Iceland, and eastern Canada. They prefer rocky and sandy substrates in temperate to subarctic coastal zones.

Diet

Grey seals feed primarily on fish, especially cod, herring, whiting, and sand eels, with diet varying seasonally based on prey availability in coastal and offshore waters.

Behaviour

Grey seals are mostly nocturnal hunters at sea but haul out frequently during day and night on land. They are highly social on haul-out sites, forming loose colonies; they are agile in water but slower and more vulnerable on land.

Hunting tips

Look for distinctive signs: large flipper prints (foreflippers show five digits), scat deposits on haul-out rocks, and worn approaches to water. Approach downwind using rocky outcrops and tide pools for cover; seals have good hearing but weaker eyesight on land. Move slowly during periods of low activity (mid-day) when seals are resting; stalk to within effective range before they slip into water.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 2 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.