Gray Seal Says “Peace Out,” Heads to the Big City

In this post from WTNH News 8 in New Haven, Connecticut, police keep a watchful eye on a gray seal pup who mysteriously made his way into downtown. This isn’t the first time the young seal left the beach for the big city. He was previously seen outside an oyster bar in the neighboring city of Branford. Rescuers from the Mystic Aquarium tried to relocate the pup to a nearby beach. However, the determined seal was soon back on the streets, this time in New Haven. Rescuers brought the seal to the aquarium until he is ready to give up his exciting city life for the great wide ocean.

Gray Seals of the North Atlantic

In this case, “gray” doesn’t just refer to the color of the pup. Their species name is “gray seal,” Halichoerus grypus, and they live off the coast of the North Atlantic. Gray seals can reach 10 feet long and weigh nearly 900 pounds. At birth, baby seals are around 3-3.5 feet long and weigh about 30 pounds.

Seal pups are born with thick, cream-colored fur called lanugo. The fur traps heat to help them stay warm. Young seals shed their lanugo when they reach around three weeks old. So the aquarium estimates that the pup is around 5-6 weeks old. However, at only 28 pounds, he is underweight. Caretakers are feeding him fish formula to help him get stronger before being taught how to hunt.

Is It Normal for Seals to Be on Land?

Seals are semi-aquatic, so it’s normal to see them on land. Of course, not in the middle of the city. Gray seals typically prefer rocky or sandy beaches. They leave the water, or haul out, to rest, give birth, nurse their young, molt, and regulate their body temperatures. Pups may haul out to rest and get warm for as long as a week at a time.

It’s also normal for a seal pup to be on its own. The mothers stay close to the pups while they are nursing, which lasts for about three weeks. When the pup is weaned, the mothers abandon them to breed again. Then the adults return to the water. Young seals remain on land to molt and grow their waterproof fur. They live off their blubber reserves for about 1-4 weeks before making their way to the ocean to start feeding.

How and Why the Seal Went to the City

While young seals may travel as far as 30 miles a day in the ocean, it is unexpected behavior for a seal to travel very far on land. They have short front flippers and the rear flippers can’t rotate. So seals must shift their weight to undulate like a caterpillar when on land. This awkward move is often referred to as “galumphing.” However, they can barely reach over one mile per hour and the closest beach to this seal is around five miles away. Rescuers noted that seals returning to land tend to move up the coast of the Long Island Sound, certainly not into the city.

Rescuers believe the seal got lost as he was following his instincts to get away from the water. They speculate the pup was trying to avoid bad weather or predators. Gray seals are vulnerable to shark and orca attacks. There is also some evidence that adult male gray seals prey on pups. Fortunately, this young seal was protected by the New Haven police until rescuers could arrive. He is currently being monitored at the aquarium’s animal rescue clinic until he can get back on his flippers.