Editing Grey seal (section)

==Ecology and distribution==
[[File:Grey seals, Stiffkey, Norfolk.jpg|thumb|Group of grey seals on sands at [[Stiffkey]], Norfolk]]
[[File:Gråsäl (Halichoerus grypus) - Ystad -2018.jpg|thumb|A dead grey seal that drowned after being caught in a [[fishing net]] in [[Ystad]]]]

In the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Ireland]], the grey seal breeds in several colonies on and around the coasts.  Notably large colonies are at [[Blakeney Point]] in [[Norfolk]], [[Donna Nook]] in [[Lincolnshire]], the [[Farne Islands]] off the [[Northumberland Coast National Landscape|Northumberland Coast]] (about 6,000 animals), [[Orkney]] and [[North Rona]].<ref name=Stewartetal2014>{{cite journal | author = Stewart, J.E.| year = 2014 | title = Finescale ecological niche modeling provides evidence that lactating grey seals (''Halichoerus grypus'') prefer access to fresh water in order to drink | journal = Marine Mammal Science | volume = 30 | issue = 4 | pages = 1456–1472 | doi = 10.1111/mms.12126| bibcode = 2014MMamS..30.1456S |display-authors=etal| url = http://dro.dur.ac.uk/16508/1/16508.pdf }}</ref> off the north coast of [[Scotland]], [[Lambay Island]] off the coast of [[Dublin]] in the [[Irish Sea]], the [[Isle of Man]], [[Ramsey Island]] (off the coast of [[Pembrokeshire]], [[Wales]]). In the [[German Bight]], colonies exist off the islands [[Sylt]], [[Amrum]] and on [[Heligoland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nordseewolf.de/magazin/13-01-2010/kegelrobben-geburtenrekord-auf-helgoland/ |title=Kegelrobben-Geburtenrekord auf Helgoland |language=de |work=Nordseewolf Magazin |date=13 January 2010 |first=Melanie |last=Hahn |access-date=20 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331005018/http://www.nordseewolf.de/magazin/13-01-2010/kegelrobben-geburtenrekord-auf-helgoland/ |archive-date=31 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the western North Atlantic, the grey seal is typically found in large numbers in the coastal waters of the [[The Maritimes|Maritime Provinces]] of [[Canada]] and south to [[Nantucket]] in the United States. In coastal Canada, it is typically seen in areas such as the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]], [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], [[Prince Edward Island]], and [[Quebec]]. The largest colony in the world is at [[Sable Island]], [[Nova Scotia]]. In the United States, it is found year-round off the coast of [[New England]], in particular [[Maine]] and [[Massachusetts]]. It has also been observed in the waters around [[Connecticut]], [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[Rhode Island]]. Archaeological evidence confirms grey seals in southern [[New England]] with remains found on [[Block Island]], [[Martha's Vineyard]], and near the mouth of the [[Quinnipiac River]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Gray Seal Remains from Southern New England Archeological Sites |author=Waters, Joseph H. |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=48 |issue=1 |date=February 1967 |pages=139–141 |doi=10.2307/1378182 |jstor=137818}}</ref> Its natural range now extends much further south than previously thought, with confirmed sightings off of [[North Carolina]]. Also, there is a report by [[Farley Mowat]] of historic breeding colonies as far south as [[Cape Hatteras]], North Carolina.<ref name=Mowat/>

An isolated population exists in the [[Baltic Sea]],<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> forming the ''H. grypus balticus'' subspecies.

Besides these very large colonies, many much smaller ones exist, some of which are well-known tourist attractions, despite their small size. Such colonies include one on the [[The Carracks|Carrack rocks]], [[Cornwall]].

During the winter months, grey seals can be seen [[hauling-out|hauled out]] on rocks, islands, and shoals not far from shore, occasionally coming ashore to rest. In the spring, recently weaned pups and yearlings occasionally strand on beaches after becoming separated from their group.

Grey seals are vulnerable to typical predators for a pinniped mammal; their primary predator would be the [[orca]] or killer whale, but certain large species of sharks are known to prey on grey seals in [[North America]]n waters, particularly [[great white shark]]s and [[bull sharks]] but also, upon evidence, additionally [[Greenland shark]]s. Some grey seal carcasses have washed ashore with visible "cookie cutter" bite marks, a telltale sign of attack by a Greenland shark (also called the sleeper shark).<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1139/f83-040 | doi=10.1139/f83-040 | title=Predation by Sharks on the Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) in Eastern Canada | year=1983 | last1=Brodie | first1=Paul | last2=Beck | first2=Brian | journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences | volume=40 | issue=3 | pages=267–271 | bibcode=1983CJFAS..40..267B | url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lucas |first1=Z. N. |last2=Natanson |first2=L. J. |year=2010 |url=https://ojs.library.dal.ca/nsis/article/view/3987 |title=Two shark species involved in predation on seals at Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada |journal=Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=64–88 |doi=10.15273/pnsis.v45i2.3987|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }}</ref> In the waters of [[Great Britain]], grey seals are a fairly common prey species for [[killer whale]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Weir |first1=C. R. |year=2002 |title=Killer whales (''Orcinus orca'') in UK waters |journal=British Wildlife |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=106–108 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237714054}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bloc |first1=D. |last2=Lockyer |first2=C. |year=1988 |title=Killer whales (''Orcinus area'') in Faroese waters |journal=Rit Fiskideildar}}</ref> In the Baltic, grey seal pups are prey for [[White-tailed eagle]]s, and [[Great black-backed gull|Great black-backed gulls]].<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />