Common seal  (Phoca vitulina)

Also known as the harbour seal, the common seal is the smaller of the two breeding seals in Great Britain (6). When hauled out it often adopts a characteristic 'head-up, tail-up' posture. The colour is variable, ranging from black-grey to sandy brown with many small spots. The top of the small head is round and the nostrils form a ‘V' (2). Males are often darker in colour than females and have a heavier appearance. The white natal coat of the young is shed inside the uterus; pups are therefore born with their first adult coat (2).