These are unprecedented times, and everyone knows that the only way to survive this crisis is through social distancing, but some animals just didn't get the memo, as it's the case of these seals, spotted gathering by the hundreds! Don't follow their example!
Grey Seals are gregarious animals, gathering to breed, molt and rest, all of which occur on land; at sea, when eating, they are usually solitary, so encountering a gathering of a few hundred of them at sea is quite a remarkable experience! Also known as Horsehead Seal and Long-nosed Seal, because of its distinctive head shape, they present a substantial sexual dimorphism, as can be observed in the video. Males can be up to three times larger than females, being a lot more robust; the coloration also differs, males being dark with white light blotches, and females light with dark blotches. Having a cold temperate and subarctic distribution, there are three primary populations in the world, all in the North Atlantic Ocean, separated as three subspecies: Halichoerus grypus grypus, in the Western North Atlantic, Halichoerus grypus atlantica, in the Eastern North Atlantic, and Halichoerus grypus baltica in the Baltic Sea.
The Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) is the sole member of its genus, but it shares the Phocidae family with 17 other true seal species: the Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus); the Hawaiian Monk Seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi); the Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris); the Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonine); the Ross Seal (Ommatophoca rossi); the Crabeater Seal (Lobodon carcinophagus); the Leopard Seal (Hydrurga leptonyx); the Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii); the Hooded Seal (Cystophora cristata); the Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus); the Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina); the Spotted Seal (Phoca largha); the Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida); the Baikal Seal (Pusa sibirica); the Caspian Seal (Pusa caspica); the Harp Seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus); and the Ribbon Seal (Histriophoca fasciata).