Elephant seal pups are born in the
Antarctic spring. Like many Antarctic seal pups, they stay with their mother
increasing rapidly in weight while the mother gets progressively thinner.
Eventually the mother has to feed and teach the pup how to feed too, by which time the pup is
quite large and well developed.The
pups are very dark at birth and have quite delicate flippers with long elegant
nails that they scratch themselves with quite precisely.
Weddell
seal pups are like big mobile unstuffed pyjama cases with the personality of a
reckless 4 year old. Fur seal pups are like small terrier puppies, bouncy and
bold. Elephant seal pups on the other hand are like little old men, very precise
and somewhat gnome-like, a stage that they grow out quite rapidly as they become
teenagers (in elephant seal years that is).
Photo; © Paul Ward - Pentax equipment,
100mm
lens, 35mm film, K64.
This picture may not be copied or used in any manner without
prior written permission.
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