Photo: Nursing Fur Seal

Lounging atop the rocks at Cape Palliser on the North Island of New Zealand a fur seal pup is nursing from its mother.

At Cape Palliser, New Zealand you can visit the lighthouse and view the only resident fur seal colony on the North Island. It is a great opportunity to get a close up view of these stunning mammals as they lounge around on the rocks, engage in play, fight or take leisurely swims.

The female fur seal will start nursing its young somewhere between 6-12 days after being born. The first thing the adult does after giving birth is head to the sea for a feeding frenzy for 3-8 days. She will then return to her pup and go on a steady nursing spree for 2-7 days. Each trip becomes a little longer until the fur seal is about ten months old and the nursing comes to a standstill.

There are hundreds of these fur seals that rest along the road side but you must be careful and not get too near as they are wild animals. If a fur seal feels threatened, you do not want to be their main target, and keeping your distance is a wise decision especially from a mother fur seal that is nursing her pup. ... continue below the picture...

This picture is part of the photo album "Animal Pictures" - there are more beautiful images waiting for you.

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Most people that have seen a fur seal in the wild will tell the story of how cute they are with their pointed noses, long whiskers and big round eyes. In reality, a fur seal can move quite rapidly and their teeth are extremely sharp which many people from New Zealand have found out.

Female New Zealand Fur Seal, Arctocephalus forsteri, nursing her pup at the Cape Palliser Seal colony, Cape Palliser, Wairarapa, North Island, New Zealand.