Grey Seal | 14 Jul 2025

Source: TH 

As climate change, pollution, and overfishing threaten the Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) in the Baltic Sea, Lithuania has launched a rehabilitation effort to support their survival and restore population balance. 

• Habitat & Range: Gray seals live in coastal waters of the North Atlantic, from the US and Canada to the Baltic Sea and parts of Europe. They haul out on rocky coasts, islands, sandbars, and ice. 
• Appearance: Males can grow up to 10 feet long, females are smaller. Males have large, horse-like heads. Pups are born with white lanugo fur that helps retain warmth. 
• Behavior & Diet: They gather in large groups for mating and molting, but often live alone or in small groups otherwise. Their diet includes fish, squid, and sometimes seabirds. 
  • The seals, being apex predators, absorb high levels of pollutants, making them indicators of marine ecosystem health. 
• Breeding & Lifespan: Gray seals live 25–35 years. Females give birth to a single pup after an 11-month pregnancy. 
• Conservation Status: The Baltic Sea subpopulation of grey seal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. 
• Threats: Grey seals in the Baltic Sea face major threats from receding ice cover, pollution, shrinking fish stocks, and disease.