News: A recent study found that grey seal milk contains 332 different kinds of oligosaccharides, making it more complex than human milk.
About Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus)
- Grey seal is a marine mammal belonging to the family Phocidae.
- It is also called the Atlantic seal or the horsehead seal.
- Habitat: It spends most of their lives in coastal waters.
- On land, it hauls out on rocky coasts, islands, sandbars, ice shelves, and icebergs.
- Distribution: It is found across shores of the North Atlantic Ocean, from the mid-Atlantic region to the Baltic Sea.
- Features
- Males can grow up to 10 feet long, while females are smaller.
- Males have large, horse-like heads.
- Pups are born with white lanugo fur which helps retain warmth by absorbing sunlight and trapping heat.
- Behaviour: It is diurnal, active during the day and sleeping at night.
- It displays bottling behaviour, where the seal floats vertically with only its head above water.
- Diet: It is carnivores feeding mainly on benthic or demersal fish, squid, and occasionally seabirds.
- Indicators species: Being apex predators, it absorbs high levels of pollutants, serving as indicators of marine ecosystem health.
- Life Span: It typically lives between 25 and 35 years.
- Conservation Status: It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
- Threats: They face threats from receding ice cover, pollution, shrinking fish stocks, and disease.
About Grey Seal Milk
- Grey seal milk contains 332 types of oligosaccharides, the highest recorded in any mammal milk, surpassing human milk which averages 100.
- Oligosaccharides are carbohydrates composed of a small number (typically 2 to 10) of monosaccharide sugar units.
They are found in foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and milk. - They act as prebiotics, feeding beneficial gut bacteria and supporting gut health.
- Oligosaccharides are carbohydrates composed of a small number (typically 2 to 10) of monosaccharide sugar units.
- These sugars help protect against viruses and bacteria, support gut development, and promote healthy microorganism growth in pups.
- Grey seal milk may help develop future medicines or may be added to breast milk substitutes to strengthen infant immunity.
