Rising Tide Images
Protective Aggressive
Don’t mess with mama! A vigilant mother seal, at right, charges a male seal that tries to come ashore in the same sandy cove as her pup. The female (tagged RL42, Leia) was mother of the third Hawaiian monk seal pup born on Oahu in 2021. After this encounter, the 19 year old male (tagged RE74, Benny) decided to move several hundred meters down the shoreline to his own private beach. He may have just wanted to haul out in the warm sun, or may have been checking to see if the female, with a pup that was almost weaned, was receptive. An observant ghost crab cautiously runs for cover.
Protective Aggressive
Don’t mess with mama! A vigilant mother seal, at right, charges a male seal that tries to come ashore in the same sandy cove as her pup. The female (tagged RL42, Leia) was mother of the third Hawaiian monk seal pup born on Oahu in 2021. After this encounter, the 19 year old male (tagged RE74, Benny) decided to move several hundred meters down the shoreline to his own private beach. He may have just wanted to haul out in the warm sun, or may have been checking to see if the female, with a pup that was almost weaned, was receptive. An observant ghost crab cautiously runs for cover.