Halichoerus grypus

(Fabricius, 1791)

Gray Seal

Taxonomy

Subclass : Theria
Infraclass : Placentalia
Magnorder : Boreoeutheria
Superorder : Laurasiatheria
Order : Carnivora
Suborder : Caniformia
Infraorder : Arctoidea
Superfamily : Phocoidea
Family : Phocidae
Genus : Halichoerus

Species status

Living
Found in the wild
Listed in MSW3 2005

Authority citation

Skr. Nat. Selsk. Copenhagen, 1(2), 167

Original name as described

Phoca grypus

Other common names

Atlantic Seal · Horsehead

Type material

lost (number not known)

Type kind

nonexistent

Type locality

No type locality given. Listed by V. B. Scheffer in 1958 as "Greenland."

Biogeographic realm

Marine

Country distribution

Belgium · Canada · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Iceland · Ireland · Latvia · Lithuania · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Russia · Sweden · United Kingdom · United States · Greenland · Portugal

Subregion distribution

USA(ME,NH,MA,RI,CT?,NY?,NJ?)

Distribution notes

Vagrant sightings as far south as New Jersey

Distribution references

Rice, D.W. 1998. Marine Mammals of the World: Systematics and Distribution. Society for Marine Mammalogy, Special Publication Number 4, Lawrence, Kansas.

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Species Permalink

https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1005913

Country distribution map

The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. Hover over the highlighted regions to see the country name.

Names and synonyms

Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details. If the list is long, scroll down to see more.

Phoca grypus

(Fabricius, 1791)

Family

Phocidae

Root name

grypus

Validity status

species

Nomenclatural status

available

Type

lost (number not known)

Type kind

nonexistent

Authority page

167

Authority publication

Skrifter af Naturhistorie-Selskabet i Kjøbenhavn

Halychoerus griseus

Lesson, 1827

Family

Phocidae

Root name

griseus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

204

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/54207672

Authority publication

Paris

Name usages

  1. Lesson (1827:204, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/54207672) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36839)
  2. Boitard (1841:278, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16650354) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/37375)

Halichoerus Grypus

S. Nilsson, 1841

Family

Phocidae

Root name

grypus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority page

318

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9707201

Authority publication

Archiv für Naturgeschichte

Name usages

  1. Nilsson (1841:318, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9707201) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/65304)
  2. True (1885:607, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7306401) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/35039)
  3. Corbet & Hill (1980:107) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/63069)
  4. Honacki, Kinman & Koeppl (1982:286) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/63071)
  5. Wozencraft (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8533)
  6. O'Brien, Menninger & Nash (2006:535) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/7321)
  7. Mittermeier & Wilson (2014:179) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67175)
  8. Mammal Diversity Database (2018:ID #9660) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67336)
  9. Mammal Diversity Database (2019:ID #9660) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67337)
  10. Mammal Diversity Database (2024, https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1005913) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67250)
  11. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (2024, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9660/45226042) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/67246)

Halichoerus grypus grypus

Wozencraft, 2005

Family

Phocidae

Root name

grypus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority publication

Baltimore

Name usages

Wozencraft (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8533)

Halichoerus grypus macrorhynchus

Wozencraft, 2005

Family

Phocidae

Root name

macrorhynchus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

name_combination

Authority publication

Baltimore

Name usages

Wozencraft (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8533)

Phoca flavescens

(A. J. Retzius, 1800)

Family

Phocidae

Root name

flavescens

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

preoccupied

Authority page

9

Authority page URI

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50496724

Authority publication

Leipzig

Halichoerus griseus

Nilsson, 1820

Family

Phocidae

Root name

griseus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

377

Authority publication

Lund

Name usages

  1. Lesson (1842:82) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/36812)
  2. Wozencraft (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8533)

Phoca halichoerus

(Thienemann, 1824)

Family

Phocidae

Root name

halichoerus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

142

Authority publication

book

Halichoerus macrorhynchus

Hornschuch & Schilling, 1851

Family

Phocidae

Root name

macrorhynchus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

28

Authority publication

Archiv für Naturgeschichte

Halichoerus pachyrhynchus

Hornschuch & Schilling, 1851

Family

Phocidae

Root name

pachyrhynchus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

28

Authority publication

Archiv für Naturgeschichte

Halichoerus grypus var. atlantica

Nehring, 1886

Family

Phocidae

Root name

atlanticus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

122

Authority publication

Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin

Name usages

Wozencraft (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8533)

Halichoerus grypus var. baltica

Nehring, 1886

Family

Phocidae

Root name

balticus

Validity status

synonym

Nomenclatural status

available

Authority page

122

Authority publication

Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin

Name usages

Wozencraft (2005) (information at https://hesperomys.com/a/8533)

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