Baby seals born a day apart gain admirers while playing, relaxing at Japan aquarium
(Mainichi Japan)
NUMAZU, Shizuoka -- Two baby spotted seals that were born one day apart on March 18 and 19 have won the hearts of visitors at an aquarium in central Japan.
The baby seals born at Izu Mito Sea Paradise in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, are a popular presence as they have been lazing about on rocks and splashing around in the water. The female seal born on March 18 is 80 centimeters long and weighs 8 kilograms, and her mother is 16-year-old Nanako. While she was seen swimming on the day she was born, she stayed mostly on top of a rock the next day.
The other spotted seal, whose 7-year-old mother is named Elizabeth, is a male measuring 88 cm long and weighing 11.2 kilos. On March 19, the two seals were seen lying on a rock side by side, with the older female's fur coat appearing white and fluffy, while the younger newborn was wet from playing in the water.
Mother seals apparently nurse their babies for two to three weeks before the cubs start eating fish. Izu Mito Sea Paradise now has a total of 13 spotted seals.
(Japanese original by Hiroshi Ishikawa, Numazu Local Bureau)
