A sharp increase in the number of seals around the coast has baffled wildlife experts, who say they have no idea where the animals are mating or giving birth.
They want the public to help solve the mystery.
Researchers have no accurate numbers for the country’s seals but have reported a large increase in sightings in recent years, especially in the Kent and Sussex area.
Brett Lewis of the University of Kent is leading the investigation.
He hopes that if coastal walkers record their sightings with the university an accurate picture can be created.
“If a dog walker or someone sees anything they think we might be interested in, I want to know the details and the exact location of the breeding pair,” he said.
“It will help us build up a much bigger picture of where they are colonising.”
A report last year found that Scotland had more grey seals than previously estimated but that common seals were in decline.
It was estimated that there were around 164,000 grey seals north of the border and a minimum of 20,000 common seals.
Around 15 per cent of the world’s grey seal population is thought to breed on Orkney but little is known about the boom in the South.
A similar survey helped map seal populations in Cumbria in 2007.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8228656/Seal-sightings-baffle-wildlife-experts.html
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