Mating season for grey seals on German island

Dec 15, 2016

Mating season for grey seals on German island

Matt Bracken 0 Comment Eurasia Animals, Germany, seals

As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14.

: A female Grey Seal wriggles after her pup on the beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Grey Seal pup scratches itself on a beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A newly born Grey Seal pup lies on a beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Grey Seal pup yawns as it lies next to female Grey Seals on the beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: Two male Grey Seals are covered in blood as they fight on the north Sea island of Helgoland on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Grey Seal swims to shore on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A newly born Grey Seal pup rests on a beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A female Grey Seal who strayed from the beach, lies next to a sign reading: “No throughway” on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A male Grey Seal shows his teeth as he lies on the beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Grey Seal pup rolls over to get close to his mother (left) on the beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: Two male Grey Seals fight on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Grey Seal looks at a black bird on the beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: Grey Seals swim together off the coast of the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: Grey Seals lie on the beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A male Grey Seal faces a competitor near a photographer on a beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland on December 14, 2016. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A female Grey Seal gets close to her pup on a beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: Two male Grey Seals are covered in blood as they fight on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Grey Seal pup lies on its back on a beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland on December 14, 2016. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: Two male Grey Seals are covered in blood as they fight on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Grey Seal pup plays with a blade of dried grass on a beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland, Germany, on December 14, 2016. As the mating season starts after female Grey Seals give birth, males usually compete by shows of strength against other males. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

: A female Grey Seal scratches herself on a beach on the north Sea island of Helgoland on December 14, 2016. Hundreds of Grey Seals use the island to give birth to their pups, usually between the months of November and January. The pups, after 3 weeks of nursing, are then left to fend for themselves. This year has seen a record number of new pups, with 320 births recorded up to December 14. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)

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