From an elephant seal’s flubber-like exterior, to their permanent look of inquisition, it’s hard not to look at them and smile.
In this clip, an elephant seal gives birth to a beautiful pup. Although elephant seals spend most of their time at sea, they usually come to shore to give birth, breed, or shed old skin.
After giving birth, this new mother bonds with her pup. Now while this is quite the adorable sight to see, they can’t help but keep getting interrupted.
At first, a bull seal interrupts them, but then eventually moves away. Later, skua gulls approach this inseparable pair.
Skuas tend to hang around the seal breeding area and feed off the afterbirth of seals. Skuas are known to be opportunistic scavengers. Mated pairs even work together to steal penguin eggs and chicks. After a penguin birth, while one bird distracts the penguin guarding its nest, the other will grab the egg or chick from the opposite side.
It’s evident in this video how smart these birds can be. No amount of seal barks will stop a skua from getting what it wants.
The most beautiful part of this birth is the interaction these different species have with one another during such a primal occurrence. It’s pretty special to be a part of, even if it is through a screen.
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