This playful young grey seal was pictured with a flipper raised in the air as it lay on rocks on the Isle of Man.(Photos)
Grey seals have gathered on the Isle of Man to give birth to their pups
More than a dozen have been born on the island so far this birthing season
Britain's coastline is home to around half the world's grey seal population
The shores of the island are set to become swamped with the seals over the coming weeks as this year's birthing season gets into full swing.
Britain is home to nearly half the world’s grey seal population - and the Isle of Man is one of their favourite places to rest and give birth.
The seals have headed to the island for the annual birthing season this autumn and more than a dozen pups have already been born.
A large number of pregnant females lie on the rocks waiting to give birth - with this expected to be a bumper year for seal births.
Manx Wildlife Trust Marine Officer Eleanor Stone said: 'There must be something in the water.
'We’ve spotted at least 50 pregnant seals readying themselves to give birth on the Isle of Man coastline this year.'
The birthing season typically runs between September and December, when pregnant females gather on the rocks surrounding the coast to raise their young.
The pups are likely to stay on the island for up to a month while they grow strong enough to head out into the sea on their own.
Grey seals can reach up to 11 ft in length and weigh as much as 680 lb.
They live and breed in several colonies on and around the coasts of Britain and Ireland - including colonies in Lincolnshire, off the Northumberland Coast, Orkney and North Rona off the north coast of Scotland.
During the winter months grey seals can often be spotted on rocks and islands just off the coast and sometimes come ashore to rest.
Pups born in the eastern Atlantic have soft silky white fur which they keep for about a month.
They eventually swap this for denser, waterproof adult fur, and enter the sea to learn to fish for themselves.
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omg i don't know how someone could hurt such a beautiful animal and so adorable lol
Lovely, beautiful and cute creatures. You can't but love them :)
what a darling I would love just to give that pup a big hug how and why with so many years I have been campaining about this when will end!