Grey seal pup resting on a beach in Blakeney National Nature Reserve, Norfolk

© Kevin Sawford/Getty Image

It's only Wednesday

After cooing over this adorable seal pup you may be surprised to learn that its Latin name (Halichoerus grypus) translated is 'hooked-nose sea pig'. More than 110,000 grey seals, over 35 per cent of the world's population, make their home in and around the coastal waters of the British Isles.

In summer you are more likely to spot common (harbour) seal pups at Blakeney Point on the North Norfolk coast, where our homepage pup was photographed. Grey seals are born later in the year. About a month after the seal pups are born, they're abruptly weaned when their mothers return to the sea to hunt for food and find a new mate. The older pups then congregate for protection in groups called weaner pods. Within weeks they shed their thick pup fur and take to the sea to learn how to catch their own fish.