Largi arranged a “family” photo shoot in the Far Eastern Marine Reserve

Spotted seals and their cubs became "models" for a photo shoot in the Far Eastern Marine Reserve in the south of Primorye. 

A series of images showed individuals of all major ages: adult seals, "youth" and pups. Successful shots of the reserve employee allow you to consider in detail the most cute inhabitants of local waters. Larga, or spotted seal, is the only species of marine mammals that breed in the Far Eastern Marine Reserve. Every winter, seals gather en masse in its water area for breeding.

On the protected islands, you can observe a lot of largas of different age stages, which makes this period ideal for observing the view and shooting these charming animals. The individual pictures were taken by an adult female seal, her squirrel and a very young larga, who recently freed herself from the remains of baby fur and will soon make the first sea dive in her life. Two pieces of light hair are still visible on it - the last traces of a carefree childhood. 

The female largae feed the young for three or four weeks, during this period the squirrels are covered with light down. Gradually it molts, and the seal becomes really spotty. After each molt, the fur is rich and bright, including after the departure of the pussy down. Molting is repeated annually, by its beginning the old fur fades. At the same time, the color of each individual is absolutely individual, so that a specialist can distinguish the largue visually, said Igor Katin, a researcher at the NSCMB FEB RAS.

Photosession, conducted by the press service of the Land of the Leopard Daniil Goncharov, took place in the heart of the protected water area - on the uninhabited island of Matveeva. It is part of the reserved archipelago of Rimsky-Korsakov. It is here, on the island shores, that the largas breed annually. This is a unique feature of the larga of Peter the Great Bay, since this species is characterized by reproduction on floating ice floes. The Far Eastern Marine Reserve was founded in 1978 to preserve the unique nature of Peter the Great Bay of Japan. Since 2021, it has been managed by the Land of the Leopard FGBI. The confluence of warm and cold currents has led to an outstanding diversity of animal and plant species in the protected water area. In addition to the spotted seal, two other species of marine mammals are annually noted in the reserve - seawool and minke whale.

Material and photos are prepared and provided by the press service of the national park