Marine mammals · Netherlands
Seals
Zeehonden · Phocidae
Through my lens
Two seals on the sandbanks of the Wadden Sea
Two seals live along the Dutch coast, the Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina) and the bigger Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus). At low tide both haul out on the sandbanks. When the water comes back up, they go fishing.
They are easy to tell apart once you know what to look for. The Harbour Seal has a round, rather dog-like head and pups in early summer; the pups can swim within hours of birth. The Grey Seal has a long, straight "Roman" nose and pups in winter.
Not long ago neither species was doing well in the Wadden Sea. Protection and cleaner water have brought them back, and on a good day the sandbanks are crowded with seals yawning, scratching and grumbling at each other.
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