- Where to see one
- 4 U.S. zoos in our directory hold gray seal, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the gray seal
The grey seal is a large true seal found on both shores of the North Atlantic, from the United States to Russia and occasionally as far south as Portugal. Males are heavier and darker with a lighter pattern, while females tend to have the reverse. The species has a long, sloping snout, often called a Roman nose, and lacks external ear flaps. It feeds mostly on fish such as sand eels, cod and flatfish, taken at depths down to 70 m or more, and also eats octopus and lobsters. Breeding happens in colonies called rookeries, where each female bears a single pup with soft white fur.
Gray Seal facts
- The Latin name Halichoerus grypus means hook-nosed sea pig.
- Western Atlantic males can reach 400 kg, and record bulls approach 3.3 m in length.
- About 1 in 400 pups is melanistic, with a solid black coat.
- A grey seal needs roughly 5 kg of food a day but does not feed every day and fasts during the breeding season.
Where to see gray seal in the U.S.
4 zoos across 4 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 4 zoos holding gray seal by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
District of Columbia· 1
Illinois· 1
Kentucky· 1
Minnesota· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
