These are photos of grey seals snapped off the coast of Marblehead at the Great Pig Rocks in July.
I am always amazed by the number of seals out there. Low tide seems to be the best time to spot them, when plenty of rocks are exposed for the seals to lay on and sun themselves.
Grey seals are one of the largest marine mammals in New England. Adult males can reach 7 -8 feet long and weigh 600-800 pounds, while females are typically about half that weight.
They’re easy to identify. Grey seals have a long, sloping snout that gives them a distinctive “horsehead” profile. Harbor seals, the other common seal in Massachusetts, have shorter, rounder faces.
Their population has made a dramatic comeback. Grey seals were nearly wiped out in New England by hunting in the 1800s. Since receiving federal protection under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, their numbers have rebounded, and they’re now common along the Massachusetts coast.
They’re found all along the Massachusetts shoreline. You can see them from Cape Ann and Marblehead to Cape Cod and the Islands, although the largest colonies are around Monomoy, Muskeget and Nantucket.
They spend plenty of time on land. It’s normal to see grey seals “hauled out” on rocks, sandbars or beaches, where they rest, warm up and molt. If you encounter one on the beach, the best practice is to keep at least 150 feet away and never try to approach or feed it..
The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer Rick Cuzner, who has been photographing local wildlife for nearly 20 years.
