Grey Seal
Grey seals are a gregarious species, living and feeding in groups. Their coats are dappled silvery to dusky brown-grey in colour, so they are perfectly camouflaged against the isolated rocky shores, coastal reefs and islands where they live and breed. Grey seals appear to be black when wet and, as a result, they can be quite easily spotted when they're near the surface of the sea. Males are bulky animals that can grow up to three metres in length, and weigh up to 300 kg; females are about 25 per cent smaller than the males. The grey seals neck is fat and usually has three conspicuous folds of skin. Their front flippers are powerful with long, curved claws that they use for holding prey and hauling out onto beaches and rocks.
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 Pembrokeshire has a 5,000 strong colony of these beautiful creatures and Skomer Island has the second largest colony on the coast (the largest is on Ramsey Island, a few miles further north). Pups are born in caves or on beaches around the island from August to December. The white-coated pups spend the first three weeks feeding and sleeping, though some may be more active - even venturing into the sea when they are just a few days old. Mothers feed the pups three to four times a day (the pups are left alone the rest of the time) and may lose up to a third of their body mass while suckling, while the pup trebles its weight in the first three weeks. After this the pups are left to fend for themselves, spending most of their time at sea, returning to the shore to haul out and rest.
Juan Brown, Warden of Skomer Island National Nature Reserve, shared some fascinating facts about grey seals with us:
The Grey Seal (sometimes also called the Atlantic Grey Seal) - Halichoerus grypus is one of two species of seal resident in the Britain Isles. The other species - the Common Seal (Phoca vitulina) - has a more cosmopolitan world distribution, and differs from the Grey in that it is smaller with a spottier coat and stubbier face. A close-up view will reveal that the nostrils on a Common Seal form a V shape, whereas on a Grey they are more parallel.
The world headquarters of the Grey Seal is the British Isles. The largest numbers occur (in order of abundance) in the Western Isles, Orkney, the Farne Islands, the Isle of May, Shetland, Cornwall, and Ireland. One of the best places to see them in Wales is Skomer Island, where adults can be seen all year round.
Seal Pupping
 Come autumn, and pupping begins. Fluffy white seal pups begin to appear in the coves and caves of Skomer from late August, with peak numbers at the end of September / beginning of October. In total, over 150 pups are born on Skomer each year. The number has remained relatively stable over the past decade. Pups feed off the rich fatty milk of the mother for their first three weeks. They gain weight rapidly, and moult into their velvety first-year coat, before taking to the sea and learning to forage for themselves.
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, under contract from the Countryside Council for Wales, monitors seal-pupping on the island each year. Every pup is given a unique colour combination by spraying coloured spots and lines on their rump, using a harmless dye normally used to mark lambs. They lose the markings after only three weeks, when they moult. This enables us to follow the fortunes of each pup, keeping track of how many are born and how many survive.Juan Brown
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