Pupping Season

Grey seals pup in October and November, though the exact timing may vary around the country.

They will stay on land feeding their white-coated pups with exceedingly fat-rich milk for just three weeks. The pup’s natal coat is called the lanugo and is shed before it goes into the water at the end of this period. Now the pup will have piled on a massive amount of weight and is ready to go to sea.s At this stage, pups are vulnerable and often struggle to cope with winter storms and other hazards.

Conversely, the common seal pup is born in June – which seems a far better time. It has already shed its white natal coat, the lanugo, inside its mother’s womb, and can swim and dive soon after birth. Pups are fed for three to four weeks, at which point they will also be ready to fend for themselves.