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Hook-nosed sea pigs

The seals of Blakeney Point are used to boatloads of tourists watching them, so you can get to within a few metres. There are grey and common seals together, and they are hard to tell apart. The grey seal has an elongated muzzle, like a Roman nose. The common seal is more dog-like with bulging eyes and a short muzzle. They are also cuter! Both species can be grey in colour, be patterned and have coats that change colour throughout the year and with age. Common seals give birth in early summer on remote sandbanks. At four weeks old the pups are weaned and the mother returns to a haul-out site like Blakeney Point. Although they look peaceful now, the males can be quite aggressive. Now that the pups are being weaned the males start to fight and get territory. Some young ones have a practice fight on the sandbank.

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Duration:

2 minutes