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Fat Seal


Fat Seal
Photo Information
Copyright: Joe Kellard (joey) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-08-08
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Canon Powershot S3 IS
Exposure: f/3.5, 1/1000 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-10-18 2:56
Viewed: 895
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Here's another shot of Common Seals from Wales.

Grey seal
Halichoerus grypus
Half of the world's population of grey seals are found on and around British coasts, and numbers here have doubled since 1960.



Statistics
Body length: Male: 210cm, Female: 180cm, Weight: Males: 230kg, Females: 155kg.



Physical Description
Male grey seals are much larger than the females, and have broad shoulders, an elongated snout and a heavy muzzle. The females have a thinner snout and a less rounded profile. They vary in colour from dark brown to grey or black with blotches, and females tend to be paler than the males.



Distribution
Grey seals inhabit the North Atlantic Ocean.



Habitat
Grey seals come ashore to breed on exposed rocky shores.



Diet
Grey seals mainly feed on fish, but will also rarely take cephalopods (squid and octopus) and crustaceans.



Behaviour
The females arrive at the breeding sites first, to give birth. When the males come ashore they compete for space nearest to the females. The oldest males get the best positions, but there is little fighting.



Reproduction
The gestation period is 11.5 months, including a three month delay in the implantation of the fertilised egg. The pup weighs about 15 kg at birth and is born with a white coat. Pups gain about two kg of weight a day due to the high fat content of their mother's milk (60 per cent fat). After three weeks of suckling the pup, the female mates again and then leaves the breeding area (rookery).



Conservation status
Grey seals are protected by the Conservation of Seals Act, but individuals causing damage to fishing nests can legally be killed. The northeast Atlantic subpopulation is considered to be Endangered by the 2000 IUCN Red List.

Thankyou for your comments
SelenE, Silke, haraprasan, PaulH, eqshannon, jaycee, Jamesp, nglen, undoredo, JORAPAVI, pierrefonds, angybone has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

hello joe,
lovely capture of the fat seal, very nice pose, liked the composition, good lighting,
well done,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2405 W: 63 N: 4227] (13822)
  • [2007-10-18 4:21]

Hi Joe,
I liked the pose you captured of this group. TFS
Best wishes,
Selen

  • Great 
  • Silke Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 727 W: 98 N: 1694] (5406)
  • [2007-10-18 4:35]

Delightful tight framing -- I love the colours and details too
TFS
silke

  • Great 
  • PaulH Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1110 W: 23 N: 3656] (13083)
  • [2007-10-18 6:32]

Hi Joe,
another great Seal shot from you, excellent eye contact and a very good job on the exposure too. Nice clarity in the details and i like the natural setting...although maybe i would've liked to have seen a bit more of it ;o)
Great shot though, well done!
Paul

I have seen seals before close in, but your picture is on the verge of being better than in person! Very nice and very clear...True colors!
Bob

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2007-10-18 9:53]

Hi Joe,

Nice capture of the trio of seals. Good natural colors and good details. I love the face of the fat one!

Jane

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16522)
  • [2007-10-18 10:45]

Hi Joe

Great shot - excellent framing and composition with nice detail.

James

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2908 W: 34 N: 8625] (32146)
  • [2007-10-18 11:31]

Hi Joe. great capture of the seals . he has his eyes on you. good detail and colour. I like the tight crop in this one. well done TFS.
Nick..

Hi Joe,
Very nice capture of the fat seals with funny pose.
Excellent details and sharpness, well composed and exposed too.
Well done and TFS,
Best wishes,
Kevin

Hola Joe,
Excelente captura, bonita composición y pose, buena nitidez y luminosidad, saludos
José Ramón

Hi Joe,
A beautiful capture of these fat seals. Lovely composition and very good details. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Hi Joe,

A good POV of the seals, the photo has a good composition, sharpness and nice colors. thanks for sharing.

Pierre

Love the composition and the pattern on the seals is fantastic. It's amazing how much their pattern looks like their surroundings.

Ils sont superbes, plein de détails, le focus est parfait et les couleurs trčs naturelles.
Bravo
Marie

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3816 W: 190 N: 11348] (34987)
  • [2007-10-22 22:21]

Hello Joe,
I missed this one. I've seen Common Seals in Pembs. but that was long before I went digital. Nice too see this reminder: you made a superb close capture in great lighting.
Well done,
Best wishes, Ivan

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