Gray Seal Born At Brookfield Zoo

BROOKFIELD, IL — A gray seal was born Dec. 26 at Brookfield Zoo. The zoo said the pup is currently behind the scenes nursing, learning how to swim and bonding with his mother, 13-year-old Lily. This is the third pup for Lily and 13-year-old sire Boone.

According to the zoo, at birth, gray seal pups are born with long, white fur called lanugo, which is molted in two to four weeks and replaced with shorter, stiffer hair similar to that of adults. Although guests will most likely not be able to see the pup at the outdoor habitat at Pinniped Point prior to the pup molting, they can view updated photos and video of him on the zoo’s website or on Brookfield Zoo’s Facebook page.

The zoo said the male pup weighed 36 pounds at birth and is on track to quadruple his weight by the time he is weaned at three weeks of age. The fat-rich milk he receives from his mother, allows the pup to put on a lot of weight in a short amount of time. In the wild, pups are born in the winter and gain several pounds a day. The blubber is a great insulator. They also need to grow quickly because once they are weaned and grow their darker coat, pups are on their own. They need to be able to fend for themselves and go out to sea to learn to hunt, according to the zoo.

The pup’s birth is very important to the gray seal population in North American institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the zoo said. Although their numbers are not threatened in the wild (they are found in the Western North Atlantic, the Eastern North Atlantic, and the Baltic Sea), currently there are only 25 individuals in 10 institutions. Brookfield Zoo is home to five gray seals.

Photos provided by Chicago Zoological Society.