Seals, octopuses, jellyfish and more

Grey seal

Halichoerus grypus

Long-nosed grey seals haul out on North Atlantic rocks, beaches and ice. Watch quietly from a respectful distance that follows local rules. Sightings are never guaranteed.

Least ConcernIn 13 Atlas countries

Least Concern (IUCN, 2016) means it is not at high risk of extinction worldwide today.

Grey seal resting on a seaweed rock in Northumberland, UK — Photo: liam1294, iNaturalist, CC BY

Grey seal underwater among seaweed, face close to the camera — Photo: Libby Keatley, iNaturalist, CC BY

Pale spotted grey seal on seaweed-covered rocks on Lunga, Scotland — Photo: Huey, iNaturalist, CC BY

Grey seal lying on a grassy shore with its long straight nose — Photo: Lars Willighagen, iNaturalist, CC BY

Grey seal close underwater in Devon, UK — Photo: Ella McCausland, iNaturalist, CC BY

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

Females about 2.3 m (7.5 ft); males up to about 3 m (10 ft)

Weight

Females about 250 kg (550 lb); males about 400 kg (880 lb)

Next to a person

A big male is longer than a tall adult and can weigh as much as several adults

What it eats

Fish such as sand eels, cod, whiting, haddock, hake, pollock and flatfish, plus squid, octopus and crustaceans, and now and then a seabird. They do not eat while breeding or moulting.

Around people

Potentially dangerous, respect

How it lives

Grey seals feed at sea and rest on rocks, beaches, sandbanks or ice. Females give birth to one white-coated pup a year and nurse it for about three weeks. Pupping is October to January in the northeast Atlantic, December to February in Canada and the United States, and January to March in the Baltic, often on ice.

Where it goes

Grey seals come back to the same colonies to breed and moult, but they travel widely between these times to feed. They are not long seasonal migrants like whales, and there is no fixed yearly route.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

About 650,000 grey seals live across the North Atlantic, according to NAMMCO in 2023. Recent counts are about 366,400 in Canada (2021), 157,300 in the UK (2020), 42,000 in the Baltic (2021), 6,269 in Iceland (2017) and 3,850 in Norway (2018). Sable Island in Canada is the world's largest grey seal breeding colony. Scientists now treat Atlantic and Baltic grey seals as two separate subspecies.

Meet it respectfully

Local rules differ. In the United States, guidance asks people to stay at least 50 yards (about 46 m) from seals, and in Scotland boats are asked to stay about 150 m from haul-outs where possible. We watch quietly and keep much further from pups and breeding beaches in autumn and winter. If a seal lifts its head, moves or looks at you, you are too close. Never touch, feed or chase seals, and never come between a seal and the sea or between a mother and her pup.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Sources for this page

Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

For partners

Work in ocean travel?

We are always happy to hear from exceptional local operators, accommodation, conservation organisations and destination experts. If your work fits responsible, small-group ocean travel, we would love to learn more.

Partner with Ocean Calling

5-day freediving course in Bali

CHF 1,180

See the trip →