Grey Seal Flipper

Grey seal flipper. This detailed image shows the thick fur and powerful front flippers of a young grey seal. The flippers are made up of long bones covered in very thick skin which forms a web, used like a paddle to propel the seal along. The long sharp claws on their front flippers are used to help them move around on land, providing very effective grip.

About the grey seal:

For much of the year grey seals are out at sea or hauled out on far away sandbanks, but from October to December the seals come ashore to give birth to their pups on the sand dunes of Donna Nook. Donna Nook is home to one the largest and most accessible grey seal colonies in the UK. There are about 3,000 Grey Seals along the coastline, and 900+ pups are born each year. The area is actually owned by the MOD (Ministry of Defence) as a bombing range, but surprisingly the seals seem relatively undisturbed by the military activity and return here year after year.