Male Grey Seals can grow to be almost twice the size of females. While in open waters Grey Seals will rest with their bodies upright and their heads above the water, looking somewhat like buoys. Grey Seals are protected in the United States by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The gestation period of the female Grey seal is 11.5 months, including a 3 month delay in the implantation of the fertilised egg. Grey Seal Reproduction Female Grey seal can breed at around 4 years old whereas female Common seals must be 3 – 7 years old to breed and males must be 3 – 8 years old. How old does a grey seal have to be to breed? When not on land, adult gray seals visit the water to hunt for food, like fish, crustaceans, squid and octopus, gobbling up between four to six percent of their body weight every day. Male gray seals can reach 10 feet long and more than 850 pounds, while females are slightly smaller at 7.5 feet long and 550 pounds. ![]() Both will sometimes snatch fish off an angler’s line or a commercial fisherman’s gear. White sharks eat fish and (::ahem::) seals, as well as other marine mammals. They will use their sharp teeth to bite at predators or strike them with their flippers. Gray seals are curious and playful, but they can be aggressive if threatened. There are known incidents where seals stay under water up to half an hour, however on the average, their stay is not longer than fifteen minutes. Because they are sleeping and not actively swimming, they can stay under water much longer than when hunting for food. Seals sleep in the water as well as on land. It’s thought they only sleep for around 90 seconds at a time. Grey seals often sleep in the water, with their noses bobbing above the surface like upright bottles. Unlike other seals, males and females are about the same size. ![]() The smallest is the ringed seal, with an average length of 5 feet (1.5 m) and a weight of 110 to 150 lbs. Males measure about 20 feet long (6 meters), while females are about half as long. The permanent dentition of the grey seal comprises 34–36 teeth, the dental formula being I 3/2, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 1−2/1 (Fig 1). The areas where they group for breeding are referred to as “rookeries.” At sea they are generally solo or in smaller groups. They form much larger groups during breeding season. ![]() Grey Seals will “haul out” (come ashore) between hunting trips together in small groups. 9 How are grey seals able to survive at sea?.8 How old does a grey seal have to be to breed?.
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