File:No pictures, please^ - geograph.org.uk - 1016300.jpg

English: No pictures, please! Seemingly unperturbed by nearby construction work this colony of grey seals has settled down on the beach for an afternoon nap. They are used to passersby and will usually remain on the beach, if not approached too closely, and one can spend as long as one wishes watching these creatures which move so gracefully when in their element. The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) is a medium-sized seal with the bulls weighting up to 300 kg and the cows being much smaller and weighing 100-150 kg. There are several colonies of grey seals along the British and Irish coasts. Large colonies numbering up to 6,000 animals can be seen at the Farne Islands off the Northumberland Coast, on North Rona (Scotland), on Lambay Island (near Dublin) and Ramsey Island off the coast of Pembrokeshire. In Norfolk small colonies of grey and of common seals can be seen near Blakeney and there is a colony of grey seals along a section of coast between the villages of Horsey and Winterton. The latter spend several weeks out of water when their pups are born in December and January; around 100 seal pups are born here every year. Grey seals feed on a wide variety of fish, basically any that are available, which they catch at depths down to 70 metres; sand eels form an important part in their diet in many localities as do octopus, crabs and lobsters. The daily food requirement is estimated to be 5kg; the animals do not feed every day, however, and they fast during the breeding season. Grey_Seal