The Gray and Harbor Seals of Cape Cod are true beach lovers. They love to find a submerged rock or beach, climb aboard and just wait for the tide to go out so they can spend the day basking in the warm sunshine. Dotting the seashore along the Cape Cod shoreline hundreds of rocks jut out of the water forming the perfect day trip for the seals. Just off the beach in Hyannisport is one of their favorite spots. Seal Rock, a sprawling, New England shingled gambrel home, was named for the rock and its jolly inhabitants. June is the best time to see seals on Cape Cod and many tour companies offer boat trips to see seals, whales and other marine life in the blue waters.
It’s not uncommon to find seals beached during lower tide along the entire coast line of Cape Cod so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they found Seal Rock. Jetty arms reach out into the water, forming a natural protection close to the house. The stretch of private beach is pristine and full of shells, marine birds, and of course, at times, seals.
Gray Seals are brown or silver with black splotches and are much larger than harbor seals, ranging from 7 to 8 feet long. The males can weigh 400 pounds, while the larger females can top 700 pounds. The gray seal has a more prominent nose. The smaller adult Harbor Seals have gray, brown or black spots, are around 5-6 feet long, and can weigh between 150 and 200 pounds.
The Gray Seal feeds on a many different types of fish. And eat up to ten pounds of food a day. They are great divers and if food at the surface is scarce, they will have no trouble going on a search for it.dive for it. They also eat herring and eels if they come across them. Larger gray seals will even eat octopus and lobster, which is plentiful on Cape Cod.
Harbor seals are not picky eaters and will eat crustaceans, molluscs, and a variety of small fish; including, rockfish, herring, flounder, salmon, and cod. Clams, molluscs, and scallop shells can be found scattered along Seal Rock beach, proof that picnics can happen right on the beach.
