When we were out at South Beach two weeks ago we came upon a group of seals lounging in the sun on the Atlantic side of the beach. As we drew nearer the seals all slowly lumbered into the water except this lone seal. It stayed there so long and was lying there so strangely that we thought it was dead, but as we drew closer it suddenly sprang to life and splashed off into the sea. It is a gray seal I believe due to its long head, but I could not decide if it was a young one or an old one. It was the only furry looking seal I saw and when I googled “gray seals” all the information I got was basically the same on every page. Nothing I found described this furry type of seal. All of the pages informed me of the cool fact that a gray seal's scientific name, Halichoerus grypus, derives from the Greek words meaning "hook-nosed sea pig." Finally I found one page that described the process of molting. This is when a seal sheds its skin and it can take up to six weeks to complete. According to the web site Seals-World the seals can get very cranky at this time. However, not one web site I visited noted that seals are mammals, which they are, and none of them told me what a group of seals is called. So I googled that question and discovered conflicting information. I read that a group of young seals is called a pod, but a colony of seals is called a herd! What? How many seals make a colony and why is it not just called a colony instead of a herd? Is there anyone out there smarter than the internet please?
Links to Gray Seal Facts and Info:
Great shots Kathie. Your seals are so different to ours.
ReplyDeleteI bet you had a great time with your son and family!
They are cool critters, Kathie! Great shots!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting to come across these seals! Love this blog Kathie with all the info and great images of your birding shots!
ReplyDeleteA very cool creature to see napping on the beach.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathie
ReplyDeleteIt certainly had an unusually shaped head it must have been fun to see.
Regards
Guy
Lovely shots of the lazy seal:) I wouldn't know why some call it a pod and others a herd. Could it be British English versus American English? Just guessing.
ReplyDeleteFabulous shots!
ReplyDeleteKathie, wonderful shots and an adventure for humans and seals!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!! Boom &n Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteLove this post - I can see why they get called hook-nosed sea pig! I haven't seen those before. Thanks - great shots of them.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots, he does have a strange shaped head. I think I would be a bit cranky too if I was trying to shed a rather moth-eaten looking fur coat..!
ReplyDeleteKathie, I've absolutely never seen a seal that looks like this! Your photos are wonderful - both "resting" and action.
ReplyDeleteMarvelous photos! So glad to see him/her back in the water~ thanks, namaste, CArol (A Creative Harbor) linked with Our World Tuesday
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