Gray seals are marine animals with 249.476 -399.6 kg (550-880 pounds) weight, 2.286-3.048 meters (7.5-10 feet) length, and a life expectancy of 25-35 years. Gray seals are identifiable through their unique morphology, habitat, and behavioral ecology. Due to their large, curved noses and horse like heads particularly in adult males sometimes they are called sea horses. Being part of the “true” seals’ family, they have short flippers that allow them to be skillful swimmers and to move in a “caterpillar” like motion on land (Fisheries). Females have silver-gray or brown fur which may or may not have scattered dark spots, while males have dark gray or brown fur which may or may not have silver-gray spots. Males also have longer nosed than females. The meaning of their scientific name, Halichoerus grypus, is hooked nosed pig of the sea. Gray seal has white fur known as lanugo (NOAA). In addition to their interesting appearance, their behavioral ecology is a significant area of study. Gray seals are very sensitive to seasons of the year, breeding season is sometime between September and November depending on geographic area, and molting season is between December and April (McConnell et al., 1999). Throughout the year they can live alone or in small group and in mating season in they are found in huge colonies. Because of their teamwork, incredible vision and auditory perception they are proficient hunters, by an estimation approximately 68946.04 Metric tons(76000 US tones) of fish is consumed by gray seals annually in the North Sea (McConnell et al., 1999). Gray Seals feed by diving underwater to find their food, going as deep as 70 meters, and sometimes even 300 meters. They don't eat every day and may fast during the breeding season. They use a technique called "social feeding" where they work together to herd fish for easier catching (Oceanwide). Gray Seals are social animals that come ashore in small groups between hunting trips, and during breeding season, they gather in larger groups called "rookeries." While at sea, they are usually on their own or in smaller groups.

Gray Seals (Halichoerus grypus)

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Add context to your content easily with beautiful layouts and immersive experiences made in minutes. You can choose what to use from videos, images, audio clips and even embeds. StoryMaps comes equipped with everything you need to ensure your story looks great.

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Transport your readers to any place at any time. With StoryMaps, you get access to the world’s leading mapping technology to guide your readers to your favorite places, illustrate trends or even take them on an interactive tour.

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The StoryMaps builder has everything you need to help stage an event, large or small

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Continue storytelling with ArcGIS StoryMaps and keep your content. Request that Esri migrate your account to ArcGIS Online by May 31, 2025, and complete migration by June 30, 2025.

If you requested to migrate your account to ArcGIS Online, complete the migration process before June 30, 2025.

Learn more about the retirement and migration

StoryMaps.com is retiring. Request migration to ArcGIS Online by May 31, 2025.

StoryMaps.com is retiring on June 30, 2025. Complete migration to ArcGIS Online before the retirement date.

To complete the migration of your StoryMaps.com account to ArcGIS Online, review and accept the Esri Master Agreement and Privacy Policy before June 30, 2025. For more information on migrating to ArcGIS Online, visit the <link>StoryMaps.com retirement page</link>.

StoryMaps.com Retirement and Migration to ArcGIS Online

After one year, you will need to purchase an ArcGIS Online subscription to continue using ArcGIS StoryMaps. Check out the StoryMaps <link>retirement page</link> for more information on the ArcGIS Online subscription options.

ArcGIS <link>StoryMaps</link> is the professional version of StoryMaps and is available as part of <link2>ArcGIS Online</link2>. Both products share similar storytelling capabilities, so if you are familiar with StoryMaps, you'll feel right at home with ArcGIS StoryMaps. Visit the <link3>retirement page</link3> for a detailed comparison between StoryMaps and ArcGIS StoryMaps.

If you do not migrate your account to ArcGIS Online, you can save any content you would like to keep before the June 30, 2025, retirement date. The options for saving content include saving stories as a PDF and saving frames using a screen recording. 

Esri is retiring StoryMaps. On June 30, 2025, StoryMaps will go offline, and StoryMaps content will not be available to edit or view. For more information, please visit the <link>StoryMaps retirement page.</link>

Introducing ArcGIS StoryMaps and ArcGIS Online: <link>AGSM Introduction video</link>

You are invited to migrate your account and content to ArcGIS Online where you can continue storytelling with maps. With ArcGIS Online, you’ll get access to ArcGIS StoryMaps and the easy-to-use story builder you are familiar with, plus so much more!

If you migrate your account to ArcGIS Online, you will have access to your existing stories, collections, and themes via ArcGIS StoryMaps, as well as an array of additional ArcGIS capabilities. (Your frames will be migrated and accessible when support for frames is added to ArcGIS StoryMaps.)

For more details about migrating your account and content to ArcGIS Online, please visit the StoryMaps <link>retirement page.</link>

Click next to proceed with the migration or click cancel to close.

Esri will give you one year of access to ArcGIS Online at no extra cost and will migrate your account and content for you.

Please review the following points before you proceed with migrating your account to ArcGIS Online:

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This means that you are deciding to use ArcGIS StoryMaps by converting your StoryMaps account to an ArcGIS Online account. After you accept these terms and conditions, select Migrate to ArcGIS Online, and you will be redirected to ArcGIS StoryMaps.

Review the Esri <link>Master Agreement</link> and <link2>Privacy Policy</link2>

To complete the migration of your StoryMaps account to ArcGIS Online, review and accept the Esri Master Agreement and Privacy Policy by June 30, 2025. 

Reminder of the retirement message, and reminder of the migration considerations. Hit the high points and link to the retirement page.

StoryMaps Retirement and Migration to ArcGIS Online

Both of these options include access to ArcGIS StoryMaps and the other ArcGIS Online apps and capabilities. Please note that there is a price difference between the two options that you will need to pay if you want to keep your account active when your free subscription expires. See the FAQs on the <link>StoryMaps.com retirement page</link> for more information about these subscription options.

Selecting Request migration below means that you are deciding to change your StoryMaps.com account to an ArcGIS Online subscription. During the free subscription, you will have access to your existing stories and collections via ArcGIS StoryMaps, as well as an array of additional capabilities offered by ArcGIS Online.

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