The harbour seal can be found along the coast in Northern Europe, and is the most common seal in Denmark. It prefers places with little or no disturbance. The harbour seal can grow to lengths of 1.5 m and weigh up to 130 kg, males being somewhat larger than the females. The fur has a greyish colour with dark or light spots and the belly is usually lighter than the back. The seal primarily feeds on many different species of fish, squids and crustaceans.

Harbour seal

The female reaches sexual maturity at an age of 3-6 years, while the male matures a few years later. In the wild the seal can reach a maximum age of about 30 years.

Grey Seal in Europe: the grey seals are most abundant around the British Isles, but can also be found along the coasts of Norway and the Baltic Sea. In Denmark, the grey seal is distributed around Gedser, Anholt, and the southern parts of the Jutland Wadden Sea. The grey seal is a large seal, and the male can grow to lengths of 2 meters and weigh up to 300 kg. The male is about 1½ times the size of the female. The seal has a greyish colour, sometimes with darker spots, with a belly usually much lighter than the back.

The Latin surname is derived from Greek and means "hook nosed", which refers to the nose, that is coved upwards. The grey seal feeds on many species of fish and sometimes squids and crustaceans. The female reaches sexual maturity at the age of 3-5 years, while males are older, 4-8 years. In the wild, grey seals can life to be more than 40 years old.

Grey seal