© Stuart Keasley / Specialist Stock/ Barcroft Media
Thousands of seals come together in these amazing pictures showing Britain’s biggest gathering of mammals.
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The annual meeting of more than 30,000 grey seals on the Monach Islands in Scotland is sees them produce an eye-watering 9,000 cute and fluffy pups in just three weeks.
In a race against time the females arrive pregnant from the previous year’s visit to the tiny Outer Hebridean island.
They give birth to the army of youngsters in the first few days and, after fattening themselves up all year in preparation for motherhood, the females then set about feeding their new pups up as quickly as possible to get them ready for a life in the water.
© Stuart Keasley / Specialist Stock/ Barcroft Media
Astonishingly, the mother’s milk is so high in fat content at 60% the newborns grow a colossal 2kg every day until they finally hit the high seas with mum after around 20 days on land.
There is little resting time for the new mums as they hurriedly feed the pups in order to get their little bodies insulated against the North Atlantic cold with thick blubber they grow during the frantic feeding rush.
And the females also have to find a suitable male to mate with before they leave so they are carrying babies when they arrive the following next year.
The heartwarming pictures were captured by an expedition led by former serviceman and professional diver Andy Torbert, 32, who lives Bristol. Joining him were cameraman and photographer Stuart Keasley, 40, boatsman Andy Moll, 51, and safety diver Martin McGrath, 52.
© Stuart Keasley / Specialist Stock/ Barcroft Media
The group travelled to the remote and uninhabited isles, six miles west of North Uist, to document the amazing breeding colony.
Snapper Stuart, from London, said: “It is the biggest event on the UK animal calendar in terms of sheer scale and the strangest thing is there are not many people out there who know about it.
“During those three weeks suddenly 30,000 of these amazing marine mammals descend on the main island which is less than a square mile.
“When you are walking around there the noise is deafening with the continuous wail of the newborns. The place is just filled with these little white balls of fluff scattered across the whole land. It’s truly an amazing thing to see.”
Expedition leader Andy, who has consulted academics across the country over the massive seal gathering, said: “The seals pick the Monachs probably because they are very low lying and quite sandy.
© Stuart Keasley / Specialist Stock/ Barcroft Media
“Studies have shown the grey seals prefer to breed in areas where the pups can easily reach the water once they are ready after their first three weeks on land. Steep sides and rocks aren’t the easiest thing for the little ones to navigate so mothers will avoid them if they can.”
The tiny Monachs – a group of islands consisting of three main bodies known as Ceann Ear, Ceann Iar and Shivinish – are linked at low tide and were abandoned by humans in 1948.
Scot Andy added: “The lack of humans is also another likely factor in why the seals choose to come here. There are also few predators.
“There are definitely some killer whales in the area and some sharks like makos who would feed on the pups if they could, but not a significant number to deter the colony from using the Monachs as their breeding ground.”
© Stuart Keasley / Specialist Stock/ Barcroft Media
Snapper Stuart continued: “A funny thing to see on the islands was the males. Rather than hang around in the middle of the din with the females and the noisy kids they all just hung out together on the beach, away from the racket.
“It’s like they were down the pub together trying for a quiet life until the mum’s had finished putting the kids to bed.”
The Monach Islands is a Scottish National Nature Reserve and can only be visited with a guide.
Words by Liam Miller
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