Grey seal: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the grey seal lives – recorded in 13 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Halichoerus grypus
Group	Seals, sea lions & walrus
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	13 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Diet (main food)	Nephropidae, fish, Octopoda
Class	Mammal
Order	Carnivora
Family	Phocidae

Where does the grey seal live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the grey seal in 13 countries and territories across Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What does a grey seal eat?

Wikidata lists the main food source of the grey seal as: Nephropidae, fish, Octopoda.

Is the grey seal endangered?

The grey seal’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the grey seal?

The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Phocidae, genus Halichoerus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the grey seal

The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), or gray seal in the United States, is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or "earless seals". The only species classified in the genus Halichoerus, it is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. The name Halichoerus grypus is taken from Ancient Greek via Latin, and means "hook-nosed sea pig". It is also known as the horsehead seal, owing to its large head.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Grey seal (revision 1381491138), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q27370 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).