- CHARACTERISTICS
- Amongst seals, the Common Seal is small. The males reach between 1.3 and 1.9 metres in length and weigh some 100 kg, although some really big ones can weigh double that.
The females measure between 1.2 to 1.7 metres and weigh from 45 to 80 kg, with a maximum weight of 130 kg.
- DIET
- They feed on fish, squid and octopus. They may complement their diet, above all the youngsters, with crustaceans.
- REPRODUCTION
- Normally they have one pup each birth. The gestation period is from ten and a half to eleven months. They give birth on land.
The mother cares for the pup and feeds it for three to four weeks, after which the mother leaves and the young seal must fend for itself.
- CURIOSITIES
- It is not a migratory species. From spring to autumn it can be seen in groups of several hundred.
It shows preference for protected coasts; bays, mouths of rivers and other spots where the currents aren’t too strong
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- NAME
- Common Seal
- HABITAT
- Coasts of the Northern Hemisphere, widespread
- SCIENTIFIC NAME
- Phoca vitulina
- SPICE
- Mammals
- DIET
- Carnivorous
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