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15-07-2008, 11:52 AM
|  | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 65
| | | ID please... sea lion?
I'm presuming this is a sea lion but I don't know if there's a breakdown further than that?
The pic was taken in Howth Harbour (near Dublin) in June last year |
15-07-2008, 12:07 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Little village called Chedworth
Posts: 4,785
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
We don't actually have sealions around Britain, this looks like a Grey Seal to me Halichoerus grypus.
Seals and sealions are actually quite different groups of animals. |
15-07-2008, 12:18 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 65
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
That's what I get for relying on Google, when I googled Howth Harbour & sea lion I got loads of hits.
Cheers for the education  |
15-07-2008, 12:23 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Little village called Chedworth
Posts: 4,785
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverW0lf 
That's what I get for relying on Google, when I googled Howth Harbour & sea lion I got loads of hits.
Cheers for the education | Oh don't worry, its a very common thing to mix the two up - not helped when there is a sealion known as a fur seal - just to confuse everyone!!
We have two seals in the UK, the grey and the common, its a shame we don't have any sealions, because they're ace! |
15-07-2008, 03:12 PM
|  | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cairngorms National Park of Highland Scotland
Posts: 80
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gill Catton Oh don't worry, its a very common thing to mix the two up - not helped when there is a sealion known as a fur seal - just to confuse everyone!!
We have two seals in the UK, the grey and the common, its a shame we don't have any sealions, because they're ace! |
.... and also - quite rare, but sightings are increasing annually, we have the Bearded Seal. (The only reason I know is that we saw one on the Isle of Mull in June  )
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From Bill - Strathspey,Cairngorms National Park of Highland Scotland.
www.strathspeywildlife.co.uk |
17-07-2008, 04:37 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,658
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
Quote:
Originally Posted by larachmor .... and also - quite rare, but sightings are increasing annually, we have the Bearded Seal. (The only reason I know is that we saw one on the Isle of Mull in June ) | Yes, this + other seals do occasionally turn up as vagrants; as well as Bearded Seals, Harp Seal + Walrus have been recorded. |
17-07-2008, 06:50 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,139
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
Also if your interested its a male.
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Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as vital to the child as it is to the caterpillar! |
18-07-2008, 10:30 AM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 65
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogghound Also if your interested its a male. | I am interested... very interested! 
How can you tell? |
18-07-2008, 10:36 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,139
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
The males snout is elongated and convex, with a heavy muzzle. The female's snout is flatter and has a less heavy muzzle. You can also tell by the colour although not from this photo its best observed when they are on land and dry, the female is a lighter grey with dark patches, the male is dark grey with light patches.
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Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as vital to the child as it is to the caterpillar! |
18-07-2008, 01:21 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 65
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
Cheers for that! |
18-07-2008, 05:10 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: South Cumbria
Posts: 216
| | | Re: ID please... sea lion?
I think it's a rule of thumb that sea lions have prominent external ears whereas seals do not. | | |
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