Sebastian Kennerknecht / Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) pup, Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay, California

Ingo Arndt / Harp seal (Phoca groenlandicus) pup on sea ice looking down into icy water, Magdalen Islands, Gulf of St Lawrence, Quebec, Canada, March.

Ingo Arndt / Harp seal (Phoca groenlandicus) pup sleeping on sea ice, Magdalen Islands, Gulf of St Lawrence, Quebec, Canada, March.

Eric Baccega / Female Harp seal (Phoca groenlandicus) surfacing at breathing hole looking at her pup, Magdalen Islands, Gulf of St Lawrence, Quebec, Canada, March.

Alex Mustard / Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) in the kelp forest (Macrocystis pyrifera). Santa Barbara Island, Channel Islands. Los Angeles, California, United States of America. North East Pacific Ocean.

Suzi Eszterhas / Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) mother and pup nuzzling, Monterey Bay, California

Suzi Eszterhas / Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) group on ice floes, Prince William Sound, Alaska

Suzi Eszterhas / Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) group, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Nick Upton / Adult female Common / Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) 'Sija' waving a flipper in a pool where she is a long-term resident, Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, Cornwall, UK, January.

Gerrit Vyn / Spotted seal (Phoca largha) pup resting on a the gravel beach of the Bering Sea. Chukotka, Russia. July.

Alex Mustard / Portrait of Common seal (Phoca vitulina) at the surface, Brancaster Beach, North Norfolk, England, Great Britain, December.

Staffan Widstrand / Bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) hauled out on ice, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway, September.