Do blond seals have more fun?

by Ewan Edwards for Bustling Bird Island, 12 December 2008

British Antarctic Survey researcher Ewan Edwards meets a fur seal pup that enjoys the lighter side of life. It’s one of only about five in every thousand of these seals to have blond fur. But is their golden hair a help or a hindrance in their struggle to reach adulthood?

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BAS scientist Ewan Edwards meets a blond seal pup.

Researchers based on Bird Island dye their hair blond to celebrate the birth of the first seal pup of the year (whatever its colour).

When Antarctic fur seals arrive on the island to breed there are so many that they even cover the walkways outside the research station. The scientists take great care when approaching the seals to study them or weigh pups. Fur seals have large teeth and bulls can weigh over 200kg.

Cameraman John Aitchison got in amongst a colony of fur seals to film their behaviour – but it wasn’t the seals he needed to look out for. Watch Surrounded by fur seals to find out what happened.