The female harbor seal Esja, a resident of the Reykjavík Zoo & Family Park, gave birth to a baby seal on Monday. Two other residents of the zoo’s seal pond, Kobba and Saerún, are also expected to pup in the coming days.
A seal at the Reykjavík Zoo. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.
According to Morgunbladid, the newcomer to the pond hasn’t been named because its gender hasn’t been determined yet.
Seal pups generally weigh 15 kg at birth, but their weight has usually doubled after four weeks. They are born covered in white fur that they shed quickly, and also with the ability to swim, mbl.is reports.
Two types of seals live wild in Iceland, harbor seals, which pup in the spring, and grey seals, which give birth in the fall.
Click here to watch an audio slideshow from the zoo and here to see a picture of the baby seal.
