#0005 · 🦊 mammals

Grey Seal

🇳🇱 Grijze Zeehond ·Halichoerus grypus

LCleast concern 🦊 Mammals 📍 in the Netherlands

8 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © Martha de Jong-Lantink · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
2. © Wolfgang Bettighofer · CC BY-NC 4.0
3. © Keith DP Wilson · CC BY-NC 4.0
4. © Martha de Jong-Lantink · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
5. © Dean Hester · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
6. © rwcannon57 · CC BY-NC 4.0
7. © Martha de Jong-Lantink · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
8. © Andrea Schieber · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

what is it?

The grey seal ( Halichoerus grypus , meaning "hooked-nosed sea pig") is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus . Its name is spelled gray seal in the US; it is also known as Atlantic seal and the horsehead seal .

base stats

NL sightings 837iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 23,015iNaturalist observations
threat LCleast concern

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

Spotted 837 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #5 most seen of the mammals in NL.
23,015 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named by Otto Fabricius in 1791 (235 years ago).