A beautiful dog-like face from an agile pinniped (seal) known as an Antarctic Fur Seal, which if you have met one on a shoreline in the Southern Ocean you might not think they are in fact cute. These mammals can be quite playful but they can also be quite aggressive and territorial when it comes to other animals and humans when on shore.
They do have a nasty habit of charging people on the beach and when a 200kg plus animal charges you at high speed, it is absolutely intimidating and overall, it can be incredibly scary. However, raise up your hands and 'call the animals bluff' and it doesn't do anything more than stop a metre/a few feet away from you, turns around and walks and at times runs away.
The face of an adorable yet potentially aggressive of an antarctic fur seal
I got this shot with a telephoto lens at a landing site in the South Shetland Islands on the Antarctic Peninsula. He was starting to become a little too curious about me - so I carefully backed out in order to be charged.
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