[35] Within a month or so they shed the pup fur, grow dense waterproof adult fur, and leave for the sea to learn to fish for themselves. Female grey seals are dedicated parents, spending several weeks feeding their pups and losing up-to 65kg in the process. Pups stay close to their mothers for about two to three weeks drinking about 8 litres of milk a day, gaining a little over 3 kg of weight per day. Grey seal mothers haul out onto beaches between October and January to give birth. Mother and pup grey seals have a strong bond from birth. Moms don’t feed while nursing the pups, but they do use vocalizations to find pups on a crowded beach. On the west coast these seals have their pups in the winter. The females produce a very high-fat content milk containing important antibodies. Young harp seals are born on the ice, and mothers identify their own offspring from the multitudes by their smell. The tension and the aggression that they display are their way of being the one that the females of interest will turn to. The mature harp seal has pure black eyes. It's thought they only sleep for around 90 seconds at a time. Once they’re weaned they’ll have grown to weigh around 100 kg. As breeding season emerges, the males will start to turn on each other. Seal Breeding and Reproduction. The gray seal can eat 10 pounds (4.53 kilograms) of food in one day. The pups only stay with their mother for the first month of their … Grey seal pups weigh only around 14 kg at birth. That is why grey seal pups have a thick winter coat. It's thought they only sleep for around 90 seconds at a time. It has a silver-gray fur covering its body, with black harp or wishbone-shaped markings dorsally. The mother returns regularly to nurse, which they do … Gray seal pups are very vocal. Adult harp seals grow to be 1.7 to 2.0 m (5 ft 7 in to 6 ft 7 in) long and weigh from 115 to 140 kg (254 to 309 lb). This is a particularly noisy time because mothers and pups recognise each … Moreover, even just hours after birth, harbour seal pups swim and dive with their mothers. Pups have been observed playing with "toys" like bones, feathers or the skins of dead animals. Guests will be seeing double in the seal exhibit at Brookfield Zoo after two gray seals were born Jan. 9 and 10. The milk of the grey seal is very rich enabling the pups to put on weight quickly. They give birth to a single pup every year, with females' reproductive years beginning as … Grey seals haul out in huge numbers at their colonies to breed, moult and rest. Pups and their moms haul out at locations called rookeries where many harbor seals gather to nurse and prepare their young for life in the wild. The pups gain weight quickly, tripling their birth weight in just three weeks. Harp seal mothers are able to identify their babies by their smell. A grey seal is one of the rarest species of seal alive today. The milk produced by their mothers is almost 60 per cent fat. When the mating ends, females gather in groups to give birth. The milk produced by their mothers is almost 60 per cent fat. At birth, the seal pups weigh around 15kg. The first few weeks of their life, grey seal pups remain on land. Grey seals often sleep in the water, with their noses bobbing above the surface like upright bottles. These seals can live from 25 to 35 years. However their mother’s high fat milk allows them to quickly bulk up and develop the blubber which is essential for survival in the cold sea water. The big, curved nose of grey seals has earned them the name the horseheads of the sea. During the breeding season, usually from October to November in the Hebrides, the female seals will haul out to give birth. Researchers have been able to observe seals in their natural environments to fully understand the reproduction process. These animals move awkwardly on land, by wriggling their bodies like inch worms do. Learn why the short time they spend on land can be hazardous to their health. They have to grow fast as their mothers stay with them for only three weeks before returning to the sea. Mothers recognise their pup by their call and scent. The color of their fur varies from black or brown to tan or grey, with light or dark spots. They are very adorable with their long white hair but it is also a bit awkward. Pups also undergo a post-weaning fast before leaving land and learning to swim. Many of their games appear to be a sort of practice for the things they will do as adult wolves. MEMBERS of the public have been asked to stay away from seal mothers and their pups as they shelter from Storm Lorenzo along the coast. They can adapt to life on a coastline but go to the ocean when hunting for food. Their pups still have their white coats upon birth. The females (cows) give birth to their pups between September and December. Their cries sometimes sound like a human baby crying. Mother‐young behaviour at Grey seal breeding beaches ... after birth for mother-pup recognition in grey seal mothers, ... time close to their pups. Mothers carry their young for a gestation period of around 10 months. Grey seals are capital breeders; they forage to build up stored blubber, which is utilised when they are breeding and weaning their pups, as they do not forage for food at this time. In the water, harbor seals are in their element. On the east coast grey seals have their pups in the autumn.