1. Atlantic Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus): Grey seals are found along rocky shorelines and don’t seem to mind choppy sea conditions, which makes Lizard Point the perfect location for these engaging creatures. There is half a dozen seals that spend a lot of time here at Lizard Point, others stop off here on their way along the coast.
When and where to see them: At high tide they can be seen swimming around the Point, or at rest with just their heads above water, a pose known as ‘bottling’. At low tide they ‘haul out’ on to the rocks, where they may be easier to spot with binoculars or a telescope from the wildlife watchpoint.
Identification: Males tend to be larger, darker and plainer with some white spots. They also have longer and broader noses. Females tend to have more delicate faces and lighter fur with black spots. Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT) volunteers monitor the grey seals here at Lizard Point and identify them by their individual fur patterns, which are as unique as human fingerprints. Grey seals are the biggest land breeding wild mammal in the UK; they can grow up to 2.5m and weigh up to 250kg (the weight of 3 adult humans!).