What Is The Scientific Name Of Grey Seal? (ANSWER)
SCIENTIFIC NAME OF GREY SEAL – In this topic, we are going to know and identify the scientific name of grey seal.
Also known as the Atlantic seal and the horsehead seal it is a species of seal which is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is from the true seal family Phocidae.
The grey seal falls under the Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. it is a fairly large seal, with bulls in the eastern Atlantic populations.
The species is distinguished by its straight head profile, nostrils set well apart, and fewer spots on its body. The seals lack external ear flaps and have large snouts.
The grey seal feeds on a wide variety of fish, which are mostly benthic or demersal species , that are taken at depths down to 70 meters or 230 feet. It also feeds on Sand eels, cod and gadids, flatfish, herring, wrasse, and skates.
Scientific Name
The binomial name of grey seal is Halichoerus grypus.
Halichoerus is a genus of grey seal from true seal family Phocidae. When combined with the specific epithet grypus, it means ‘hook-nosed sea pig’ in Latin.
There are two subspecies of gray seal, namely:
- Halichoerus grypus grypus | Baltic Sea
- Halichoerus grypus atlantica | western North Atlantic stock (eastern Canada and the northeastern United States), the eastern North Atlantic stock (British Isles, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Russia)
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