Monk seal and pup
Last February, I posted about a new monk seal pup being born on the island (here and here). I’m happy to report that the pup, Manu’iwa, continues to do well. Now, her mother, RA20, has returned to the same site and given birth to a new pup.
The new pup is just over two weeks old and so far the signs are good. The pup is nursing well and the mother is being very careful around it. When Manu’iwa showed up to see her new sibling, the day after it was born, RA20 quickly put a stop to the meeting. Monk seal mothers are very protective of their pups.
Mother and pup will likely spend about six weeks in the area before RA20 leaves the pup to fend for itself. During that time, she will lose weight while the pup gains and they will be a lot closer in size than they area currently.
These photos were taken in the early afternoon when the pair were resting and not much was going on. Morning is the best time to see them being active.
Love the way they keep contact as the lie together. They look so vulnerable in the third shot. Wishing them both well.
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Yes. She was very good with her pup last year and appears to be so again. I shall have to go down there again and see how they’re doing.
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What a nice follow-up post to her first pup! Too bad they don’t want to be a family! Great shots, Graham!
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Thanks. The mother needs to be protective. A relative could take her pup out if it views it as a competitor.
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