Young gray seals washed up on Terschelling (favourite video on Youtube)
Due to the stormy weather in December 2014, a number of young seals were washed off their sandbar. Many young have been found again by their mothers. They could now be seen in various places along the Wadden dike and on the Noordsvaarder. Even on the jetty an older animal was quietly sunbathing. It concerned the young of the gray seal (Halichoerus grypus). After the common seal, it is the most common seal in Dutch waters. Gray seals in our regions give birth between September and December, with a birth peak in October. At birth, the young is 90 to 105 centimetres long and weighs an average of 14.5 kilograms. The young animals have a woolly white coat at birth. They lose these after 2 to 3 weeks. Shortly after birth, the young cannot swim because of their fur. The female will suckle the young every five to six hours if they are not disturbed. Due to the fat milk, the young gain 1.5 to almost 2 kilograms per day. The total suckling time lasts 16 to 21 days, after which the mother leaves the young. Only when the young are 30 to 35 days old do they start looking for food themselves.
