There are an estimated three thousand to four thousand Grey Seals on and around  the Farne Isle, with an estimated one thousand pups born every Autumn, between September and December.

They are extremely tolerant of people and can often be seen bottling (floating upright in the water) with their head just above the water line as fishing boats and tourist boats sail past them. They are quite gragarious out of the water as they lounge about in large groups on the rocky shore line, but in the water are quite solitary creatures.

The adults grow to around two metres in length and weigh approximately 310 kg. The pups are around 100cm at birth and weigh between 15kg to 20kg.