More than 10,000 seals live in the Wadden Sea region. In the Netherlands, they are very common off the shores of Wadden island Texel. We are happy to tell you more about it.

Born in winter

Grey seal pups are born in winter and, from late November onwards, you can spot the first seal pups on Texel’s mudflats and beaches. Born on the beach, these cute-looking baby “acrobats of the sea” have thick fur so they cannot enter the water immediately. They can bite off well, so keep your distance. The mothers hunt for fish to make sure their young grow rapidly. Once they have lost their thick coats, the pups learn to swim with their mothers.

Seals on the beach

Do you see a seal on the beach? Then you don't have to sound the alarm immediately. It may well be that the seal is resting for a while, or that a young seal is waiting for its mother. Stay at a good distance and keep your dog on a leash so you don't cause the seal unnecessary stress. Can you see from a distance that the seal is in bad shape? Then it is advisable to call Ecomare.

Seals at Ecomare

Ecomare takes care of seals that cannot survive in the wild on their own, such as young animals that have lost their mothers and cannot look after themselves yet and animals weakened due to illness. Once they are healthy and strong, they are released into the wild on a Texel beach or on a mudflat in the Wadden Sea.

Seals on the mudflats

There are several sandbanks just off the coast of Texel where large groups of seals live the whole year. Het Sop, the TX25, De Vrijheid, TX44 and TX20 Walrus, which sail from Oudeschild, will all take you on trips to the sandbanks.

If you can’t wait until your (next) holiday on Texel to see these wonderful creatures, you can watch the seals at Ecomare via our Webcam.

The seal: a good swimmer and fisher

One of the best-known predators and mammals in the Wadden Sea is the seal. Seals are super good swimmers and you would lose any swimming competition against them. Did you know that two different seal species live on and around Texel? The harbour seal and the grey seal. Would you like to find out more about these swimming inhabitants? Then read Seals good swimmer and fisher!