# Where Do Grey Seals Live?

> Where grey seals live: North Atlantic coasts, islands, and ice edges, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Least Concern.

- **Species:** Grey Seal (*Halichoerus grypus*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore — fish, squid, and crustaceans
- **Habitat:** North Atlantic coasts, islands, and ice edges
- **Lifespan:** 25–35 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** Up to 24 km/h (15 mph) swimming
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/grey-seal/where-do-grey-seal-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/grey-seal/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) is a large North Atlantic seal named for its long, horse-like muzzle. It swims after fish, squid, and crustaceans along rocky coasts, islands, and ice edges, and a big bull can weigh up to 230 kg. Powerful swimmers, grey seals reach about 24 km/h in the water and can live 25 to 35 years. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## Swimming and diving

Grey seals are strong, agile swimmers, driving themselves through the water with their hind flippers at speeds of up to 24 km/h. They routinely dive to depths of tens of metres and can stay submerged for well over ten minutes while hunting on or near the seabed. A thick layer of blubber keeps them warm in cold Atlantic water and stores energy for the breeding season. On land they are far clumsier, hauling out onto rocks and beaches to rest, moult, and breed.

## Help protect the Grey Seal

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/grey-seal/where-do-grey-seal-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.