How do I tell the difference?

[Kenn]

These last two weeks I have been watching various groups of seals and am still some what confused as to how to distinguish common seals from grey seals although I know that the latter is the larger of the two.
I am presuming that the young furry ones that I have seen hauled out at Gills and Brough are this years common pups as they range from golden brown to almost black but are still wearing their teddy bear type coats.

Now before you rap me on the knuckles for not listening to your very erudite explanation seabird, I was rather distracted at the time.

[Seabird]

Your right in saying common seals are smaller when adult.
Common seal colour is varied but like most seals they appear black when wet.
The only real feature that is different is the shape of the nose and muzzle.
Also only Grey seals bottle (stick their nose in the air while floating)
Common seal
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e307/seabird72/seals/Sealblackeyes12-8-07.jpg
Grey seal
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e307/seabird72/seals/GreySeals19-5-07d.jpg
Note the way the common nose bends over the front of the muzzle where as the grey is more straight down
The common muzzle is also shorter and puffs more out towards the sides.
Most commons are found at Brough,Ham, a few at Scotlands Haven and of late quite a few at Gills.
Of the 24 i saw last weekend i only saw 6 pups among them.
Common pups unlike greys are born in the sea mainly June ,July.
Grey pups are white and are born on land late Oct onward.
I hope that helps Liz

[Kenn]

Well had the best seal day yet, counted 47 greys hauled out at Gills and there could have been more as they were so crowded a little further along there was a smaller group of commons totalling about 12 in all.

[Kenn]

I was amazed to see a "Go faster," seal at Gills on Thursday last.
There were an in excess of 60 hauled out but there was one on it's own that really took my eye.
Light coloured head,grey body with a distictive dark strip down it's flank,now I am used to spots,marls even brindled but racing stripes?
On traveling back south Friday saw a very similar one hauled out at Cromarty Firth.
Will post the picture when I have retrieved it from the laptop.

[Seabird]

I was amazed to see a "Go faster," seal at Gills on Thursday last.
There were an in excess of 60 hauled out but there was one on it's own that really took my eye.
Light coloured head,grey body with a distictive dark strip down it's flank,now I am used to spots,marls even brindled but racing stripes?
On traveling back south Friday saw a very similar one hauled out at Cromarty Firth.
Will post the picture when I have retrieved it from the laptop.

The go faster stripe occurs when the seal lays on it's side and it gets wet.
when it chnges position the dark stripe is the part of the body that was touching the wet surface when laying.
It will disappear as the seal dries out.

Colin

[inorg]

Awwwww drat that's my theory blown to shred and just when I was planning the first ever seal Grand Prix.

[Kenn]

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i316/kenliz/Gofasterseal.jpg

Thank you for the explanation seabird, the photo is not very good but the stripe really does show up.