Editing Grey seal (section)

==Description==
[[File:Juvenilegreysealswimmingfarneislands.jpg|thumb|A juvenile grey seal swims in the Farne Islands, UK.]]
This is a fairly large seal, with bulls in the eastern Atlantic populations reaching {{convert|1.95|–|2.3|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}} long and weighing {{convert|170|-|310|kg|lb|abbr=on}}; the cows are much smaller, typically {{convert|1.6|–|1.95|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|100|–|190|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight.<ref name= FAO>{{cite book |last=Working Party on Marine Mammals |date=1978 |title=Mammals in the Seas, Volume 4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-Je25qovO8C&q=Halichoerus |location=Rome |publisher=Food & Agriculture Org. |page=257 |isbn=9251005141}}</ref> Individuals from the western Atlantic are often much larger, with males averaging up to {{convert|2.7|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}} and reaching a weight of as much as {{convert|400|kg|lb|abbr=on}}  and females averaging up to {{convert|2.05|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}} and sometimes weighing up to {{convert|250|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Record-sized bull grey seals can reach about {{convert|3.3|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}} in length.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Naughton |first1=D. |year=2014 |title=The Natural History of Canadian Mammals: Opossums and Carnivores |publisher=University of Toronto Press |url=https://utorontopress.com/9781442622319/the-natural-history-of-canadian-mammals/}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bjärvall |first1=A. |last2=Ullström |first2=S. |year=1986 |title=The mammals of Britain and Europe |location=London |publisher=Croom Helm |isbn=0709932685}}</ref> A common average weight in [[Great Britain]] was found to be about {{convert|233|kg|lb|abbr=on}} for males and {{convert|154.6|kg|lb|abbr=on}} for females whereas in [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]], adult males averaged {{convert|294.6|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and adult females averaged {{convert|224.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name= FAO/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lidgard |first1=D. C. |last2=Boness |first2=D. J. |last3=Bowen |first3=W. D. |year=2001 |url=https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/343 |title=A novel mobile approach to investigating mating tactics in male grey seals (''Halichoerus grypus'') |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=255 |issue=3 |pages=313–320|doi=10.1017/S0952836901001418 |hdl=10088/343 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | url=https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1995.tb02730.x | doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1995.tb02730.x | title=Mass transfer during lactation of an ice-breeding pinniped, the grey seal (''Halichoerus grypus''), in Nova Scotia, Canada | year=1995 | last1=Baker | first1=S. R. | last2=Barrette | first2=C. | last3=Hammill | first3=M. O. | journal=Journal of Zoology | volume=236 | issue=4 | pages=531–542 | url-access=subscription }}</ref> It is distinguished from the smaller [[harbor seal]] by its straight head profile, nostrils set well apart, and fewer spots on its body.<ref name="How to identify British seals">{{cite web|title=How to identify British seals|url=http://www.discoverwildlife.com/british-wildlife/how-identify-british-seals|publisher=BBC Wildlife|access-date=23 October 2015|archive-date=4 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904143757/http://www.discoverwildlife.com/british-wildlife/how-identify-british-seals|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Get the lowdown on seals">{{cite web|last1=Middleton|first1=Kevin|title=Get the lowdown on seals|url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/b/notesonnature/archive/2012/08/17/get-the-lowdown-on-seals.aspx|publisher=[[RSPB]]|access-date=23 October 2015}}</ref> Wintering [[hooded seal]]s can be confused with grey seals as they are about the same size and somewhat share a large-nosed look but the hooded has a paler base colour and usually evidences a stronger spotting.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Perrin |editor-first1=W. F. |editor-last2=Würsig |editor-first2=B. |editor-last3=Thewissen |editor-first3=J. G. M. |year=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2rkHQpToi9sC&q=%22gray%20seal%22%20OR%20%22grey%20seal%22 |title=Encyclopedia of marine mammals |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=9780080919935 |chapter=Grey Seal (''Halichoerus gryphus'') |last1=Hall |first1=Ailsa |last2=Thompson |first2=David |pages=500–502}}</ref> Grey seals lack external ear flaps and characteristically have large snouts.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Marine Science: The Dynamic Ocean|author = Schuster, Marreno|author2 = Glen, Megan|publisher = Pearson|year = 2011|isbn = 978-0-13-317063-4|location = US Satellite Laboratory|pages = 107}}</ref> Bull greys have larger noses and a less curved profile than harbor seal bulls. Males are generally darker than females, with lighter patches and often scarring around the neck. Females are silver grey to brown with dark patches.