The Common Seal is a true seal, that can be found in Mayo's coastal areas.

It has a dark grey colour on the back, paler on the belly with black spots. The body and flippers are short, the head is rounded.

It comes ashore to have pups on sandy and muddy areas, where it is protected from bad weather conditions and predation and where, normally, there is a near foraging area. It prefers to frequent familiar resting sites, but it can swim into sea and freshwater in large rivers in search of food. The Common Seal eats fish and mollusks.

In Mayo there are a good number of coastal haul out and breeding sites such as Blacksod Bay and Claggan area.

Phoca Vitulina is its scientific name, while the Irish one is Ròn Beag.