Gray seal pup on the beach of Norfolk, England

© Vince Burton/Minden Picture

Grey seal pup

If you happen to visit England's Norfolk coasts around this time, you're very likely to see some grey seal pups experiencing the world for the first time. About 3,000 grey seal babies are born on the shoreline between early November and January each year—slightly earlier than the ones living on the US coasts—making the area one of the most significant breeding regions in the United Kingdom. The seal moms feed their pups on the beach for three weeks and their effort is noticeable. The offspring gain approximately 2 kilograms each day in those weeks! Following the feeding period, the young seals are not water-ready just yet. They stay on the beach until their pale fur darkens to a mottled grey, then head to the sea and learn to hunt themselves.