Grey seals and harbour seals: When and where to see them in the UK

Seals – semi-aquatic mammals also known as pinnipeds – are quite common in the UK. Discover which species call the UK home, where to see them and how to watch them safely.

Which seals live in the UK?

Two species of seal live in the UK all year round – the grey seal and the harbour seal.

They’re found around much of our coastline and sometimes venture into our rivers too. Both are members of the Phodicae family, or earless seals.

Grey seals

The grey seal is Britain’s largest resident seal species. They can grow to be more than 2.5 metres long and weigh up to 300 kilogrammes.

Grey seals are found throughout the Baltic Sea, around Iceland and the northern coasts of Europe, including all around the UK and Ireland. They also live along the east coasts of Canada and the USA.

Britain’s shores are home to 120,000 grey seals. This is about 95% of the species’ European population and 40% of the global population.

Grey seals don’t migrate long distances but will spend several days at a time hunting for food far away from their haul out sites. They mostly eat fish, such as cod, sand eels, flounder and plaice.

Harbour seals

Harbour seals are also known as common seals, although ironically they’re actually the less common of the UK’s two seal species.

At 70–150 kilogrammes and up to two metres long, harbour seals are slightly smaller than grey seals. Their diet is more varied, with this species hunting octopus and squid as well as fish, such as cod, herring and sand eels.

Around the world, populations of grey seals and harbour seals overlap, but harbour seals are also found along North America’s Pacific coast as well as around Japan and eastern Russia.

It’s estimated that there are 100,000 harbour seals in Europe, with at least 33,400 of them living around the UK, mostly in Scotland.

How to tell grey seals and harbour seals apart

Both grey seals and harbour seals have dappled grey to brown fur, though harbour seals are often a bit spottier. However, one of the best ways to tell these two species apart is by looking at their heads.

The faces of grey seals have a slightly arched profile with two vertical nostrils. In fact, their scientific name, Halichoerus grypus, actually means ‘hook-nosed sea pig’.

The faces of harbour seals are slightly concave with nostrils in a V-formation, giving them more of a dog-like appearance.

Seal pups

Seals reproduce once a year and usually have one pup at a time.

For grey seals, the timing of this varies around the UK. Along the west coast, including in Wales, the pupping season can run from August to November. Over on the east coast, in Norfolk for example, pups can be born from October to January.

Grey seal pups have fluffy white fur. They won’t go into the water until they’re two to three weeks old, when they’ve started to shed it.

Harbour seals are usually born in the summer, between June and July. They have a smooth grey coat and can swim when they’re just a few hours old.

Like other young mammals, seal pups rely on their mother’s milk. They drink around 2.5 litres every day, helping them to put on weight quickly and to build up their insulating blubber.

Seal pups are sometimes spotted alone on beaches. In most cases, this is completely normal – their mother may be hunting nearby. Once a pup has weaned at two to four weeks old, its mother returns to the sea, and it must enter the ocean to find food for itself.

Walruses in the UK

On rare occasions, the UK is visited by other seal species. Bearded seals, ringed seals, harp seals and hooded seals have all been spotted, mostly around the Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland and along the east coast. However, it’s walruses that make the headlines.

Populations of these up to three-metre-long, 1.5-tonne seals are normally found around Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Norway’s Svalbard archipelago and Russia. But individuals turn up in the UK from time to time. In 2021 and 2022, we were visited by Wally the Wandering Walrus, Thor and Freya.

Normally when walruses visit us, they eventually make their way back to the Arctic. However, Freya’s story ignited discussions about the management and protection of such animals.

Freya visited the UK and other European countries, drawing in crowds of fascinated onlookers. She was eventually put down in Norway in August 2022, causing international outrage. Authorities deemed Freya a danger to the public after numerous people disregarded warnings to stay away from this very large and unpredictable wild animal.

Despite this recent run of walrus visits, for now, this species is unlikely to become a permanent resident in the UK.

Seal watching in the UK

Seals are quite common in the UK and there are plenty of places to visit for an opportunity to see them. Some of our best vantage points include:

• Horsey Gap and Blakeney National Nature Reserve in Norfolk
• The Farne Islands in Northumberland
• The Orkney Islands in Scotland
• Mutton Cove in Cornwall
• Donna Nook in Lincolnshire
• The Calf of Man on the Isle of Man
• South Walney Nature Reserve in Cumbria
• The Isles of Scilly
• Skomer Island in Pembrokeshire

How to keep seals safe

We need to keep seals safe to help our planet thrive.

No matter of where you go or which species you see, remember that while seals are charismatic creatures they’re also large, wild animals that can be unpredictable. If you go seal watching, don’t forget to:

• Keep your distance. Use binoculars or a camera to watch seals from at least 100 metres away. If you unexpectedly encounter a seal, change your route or make as wide a detour as possible. When threatened, seals can be aggressive in self-defence and mothers may even abandon newborn pups.
• Be as quiet as possible. Loud noises can scare seals and make them flee into the ocean. If a colony of seals stampedes, they may injure each other.
• Keep dogs under control. Curious pets can cause serious stress and injury to seals. Dogs should be kept on a lead or left at home.

Seals are protected by law in the UK. In some places, particularly during the breeding season, you’ll need to stay off the beach and stick to approved paths and roped-off viewing areas. This is to avoid disturbing the animals.

If you’re interested in paying for a wildlife watching tour, look out for operators with WiSe accreditation. These operators have completed training and follow a code of conduct to minimise disruption to marine wildlife.

Seals are one of several groups of animals that we need to take care around when we visit the beach. Seabirds, dolphins, whales, and fish including seahorses, sharks and rays all rely on our coastline too. Follow government advice to help UK marine life thrive.