What is the main colour of a newborn hooded seal pup’s coat?

A newborn hooded seal pup’s coat is blue-grey.

Hooded seal pups are born with a distinctive blue-grey coat, which gives them the common nickname “bluebacks.” The coat is short-lived: pups moult it soon after birth and develop a darker juvenile pelage. This is different from the bright white lanugo associated with harp-seal pups.

Hooded seals breed on pack ice in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions. Their pups are unusually large at birth and nurse for only a short period, one of the fastest nursing periods among seals. The mother’s highly nutritious milk supports rapid growth before weaning.

The adult hooded seal is named for the inflatable nasal sac found in males. When inflated, this structure forms a hood-like display and can also produce resonant sounds during social or breeding interactions.