6 | WILDLIFE
Sealing the deal
If you head down to the coast today, you’re sure to find something big and blubbery, as Wendy Evans discovers
Two seals snapping at each other on a beach in Norfolk with the sea throwing up spray in the background.
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There are two main types of seal found around the British Isles, the common, or harbour, seal (Phoca vitulina) and, confusingly, the more populous grey seal (Halichoerus grypus). Common seals give birth in early-mid summer while grey seals produce pups from August to January. Seals are also the only marine mammal that feeds in water but breeds on land. So there are plenty about, but what’s the best way to photograph them? You can try to catch them in the water, but then you will just see a head bobbing about. A better option is on the beach or rocks, particularly when they are interacting with each other rather than sleeping.