Harp seal puppy taking a swimming lesson with his mother in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

A harp seal pup takes a swimming lesson with its mother in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec, Canada. Female harp seals give birth to pups on moving ice floes. They suckle their pups for just 10 to 14 days. During the last few days of this short period, they encourage the pups into the water to help them learn to swim. After the swimming lessons, they abandon their pups. The females then mate with the males that have been waiting nearby before heading north to their feeding grounds. The pups, at two weeks old, are left alone with nothing to eat.
#wildlife_adventures
#seal
#cute
#arctic
#underwater