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Caspian seal pupping

Caspian seal pupping. On ice. Photo: Brian Black. Kazakhstan. River Volga. Russia. Seals breed on the ice. Ice edge forms. In late Autumn the seals head north to have their pups on the winter ice-field. Turkmenistan. Azerbaijan. Iran. Almost all Caspian seal pups are born

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Caspian seal pupping

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  1. Caspian seal pupping On ice Photo: Brian Black

  2. Kazakhstan River Volga Russia Seals breed on the ice Ice edge forms In late Autumn the seals head north to have their pups on the winter ice-field Turkmenistan Azerbaijan Iran

  3. Almost all Caspian seal pups are born on the ice……… Photo: Sue Wilson

  4. …..although a very few are born on sandy Islands further south photo: Pavel Erokhin

  5. Seals on the ice assemble along cracks in the ice to have their pups How many seals can you see ? 1 2 4 3 5 6 8 7 9 11 10 Photo: Ivar Jüssi

  6. The pup is born with a fluffy white coat to keep it warm until it gets fat on its mother’s milk Photo: Sue Wilson

  7. The Caspian seal mother looks after her pup and suckles it for about 4–5 weeks Photo: Sue Wilson

  8. adult mother pup These seals have chosen the edges of broken ice Photo: Sue Wilson

  9. Adults can easily surface and dive through the ice porridge Photo: Sue Wilson

  10. Adult seals make holes in the ice to get in and out of the water Photo: Sue Wilson

  11. Mother and pup passing by hole Adult seal in seal-made hole mother pup Photo: Sue Wilson

  12. Pups follow their mothers...... Photos: Sue Wilson

  13. ...and the mother often turns round to make sure her pup is following

  14. At about 4–5 weeks old, the pup loses its white fluffy fur. The pup can now get wet and swim safely in its new silver-grey coat This fat pup can swim safely as soon as the ice melts This mother will soon stop looking after her pup. Photos: Sue Wilson

  15. Kazakhstan River Volga Russia Seals swim away from the north east H H Ice melts When the ice melts in the spring, the seals head south again. They haul out on islands ( ) to moult and start to feed in the deeper waters of the middle and south Caspian. Turkmenistan H H Azerbaijan H H H H Iran

  16. …until next autumn, when the cycle starts all over again……. Photo: Pavel Erokhin

  17. Thanks to all colleagues in the CISS and Darwin project teams, to the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP) and Agip KCO Thanks to Sue Wilson, Pavel Erokhin, Ivar Jüssi and Brian Black for Caspian seal images

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