Elephant Seal Pup Meets Photographer Mary Marshall: Video and Seal Facts

Mary Marshall sat down on the beach to photograph a young elephant seal. The pup had other ideas: it shuffled over to her and tried to get as close as it could, turning the photographer into the subject. The video of their meeting, filmed on a Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris expedition to the far south, has charmed viewers around the world.

The elephant seal pup video

The clip, published on YouTube by Drmrfordancing as Amazing Encounter with an Adorable Elephant Seal Pup, starts quietly. Marshall is seated low on the shore with her camera. Then the pup comes over to investigate, and the scene becomes a gentle meeting between a curious animal and a very still human.

Southern elephant seals: the largest seals on Earth

The southern elephant seal is the biggest seal and one of the most extreme divers in the animal kingdom.

• Size: adult males weigh about 3,000 to 3,700 kg and reach up to 5.8 m; females weigh 350 to 900 kg, so males are four to five times heavier.
• The name: it comes from the bull’s huge size and inflatable proboscis, used to produce thunderous roars.
• Diving: dives typically reach 400 to 1,000 m, with a record of 2,388 m.
• Population: the South Atlantic holds the largest subpopulation, more than 400,000 animals, including about 113,000 breeding females on South Georgia.

How elephant seal pups grow so fast

A pup weighs about 40 kg at birth. For an average of 23 days its mother nurses it on extremely rich milk while she herself fasts. By weaning, the pup weighs around 120 to 130 kg, and the mother returns to sea.

The weaned pups, often called weaners, gather in nurseries on land until they lose their birth coats, and only then start learning to swim. With no parent to follow, they spend those days exploring the beach.

Wildlife etiquette in Antarctica and South Georgia

Expedition cruises follow the guidelines of IAATO, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators:

• Keep a safe distance from wildlife and never feed, touch or handle seals or birds.
• Do not approach animals in ways that change their behaviour, and take extra care during breeding and moulting.
• Keep noise down, stay with your group and follow your expedition leaders.

If a curious animal comes to you, stay calm, keep still and let it move on in its own time, as Marshall did. Give way to seals heading for the water: young elephant seals are endearing, but they are wild animals that can weigh well over 100 kg.

For more polar wildlife, see penguins through a filmmaker’s edit and distance and managed bear viewing.

Related reading

• Charlie and the Seal: An Antarctic Camera Encounter
• Penguin Bloopers from Spy in the Huddle
• Da Mao in the Snow: Toronto Zoo’s Giant Panda Video
• Animals in Snow: Winter Photographs, Food, Rest and Movement

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