Gray Seal, Halichoerus Grypus, Bonaventure Island, Quebec
©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com
Canon EOS 1D MKIII, 500mm F4 Lens Hand-held from Zodiac Hurricane 733
ISO 400, F4.5, 1/2000s Manual Mode
Here's a few Grey Seal images captured from the Zodiac during my recent Gannets Galore workshops. Being in the Zodiac allowed us to get low and close; very close. An easy way to ensure sharp images while hand-holding large lenses from a rolling boat is to use a high shutter speed; notice that I've chosen 1/2000 of a second. There is quite a sizable Grey Seal population around Bonaventure Island in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. How do I get so close? Holding my camera in the "shooting" position before making my approach is the secret; the best way to scare off a seal is to wave a huge white lens at it ;) (and I've seen it countless times).
Gray Seal, Halichoerus Grypus, Bonaventure Island, Quebec
©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com
Canon EOS 1DsMKIII, 500mm F4 Lens Hand-held from Zodiac Hurricane 733
ISO 400, F5, 1/2000s Manual Mode
Gray Seal, Halichoerus Grypus, Bonaventure Island, Quebec
©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com
Canon EOS 1D MKIII, 500mm F4 Lens Hand-held from Zodiac Hurricane 733
ISO 400, F4.5, 1/2000s Manual Mode
Gray Seal, Halichoerus Grypus, Bonaventure Island, Quebec
©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com
Canon EOS 1D MKIII, 500mm F4 Lens Hand-held from Zodiac Hurricane 733
ISO 400, F4.5, 1/2000s Manual
The Gray Seal is large-bodied and robust, rotund at the torso and slender toward the hind end. The head is conspicuously long, broad, and flat with no obvious forehead. The flippers are short and rather thick. The foreflippers are blunt at the end, with digits all roughly the same lenght and with long slender claws. Adult males are up to three times larger than adult females, with a proportionally larger head and a longer, fleshier snout. Mature males develop a robust neck and chest with prominent folds or wrinkles. The chest may become heavily scarred from fighting with other males. There are nine to ten pairs of teeth in the upper jaw and eight pairs in the lower jaw.
The spotting pattern of Gray Seals seems to be individually unique, like a human's fingerprint. The scientific name, Halichoerus Grypus, translates to "hook-nosed sea pig" and is derived from the Greek words halios ("of the sea"), khoiros ("pig"), and grupos ("hook-nosed"). In Eastern Canada, the Gray Seal is also known as "horsehead", in reference to the distinctive shape of the male's head.
Adult males are generally a uniform dark gray, brown, or black with scattered light spots and blotches over most of the body. Adult females and juveniles are mostly light silver or gray with dark brown, olive, or black blotches. The ventral coloration, especially of females and juveniles, may be lighter. Pups are born with a long thick lanugo coat that they shed at about two to four weeks to attain a muted adult pelage.
Gray Seals live to be 35-40 years of age and the males can reach 770 pounds (350Kg).