Curious pup

An experience from Gold Harbour, South Georgia.

Pentax K-7, DA 14/2.8
1/90s, f/6.7, ISO 200
Click image for larger version

The infancy of elephant seals ends abruptly when the mothers wean them by leaving the beach. The pups linger for a while, and as hunger builds, so does their curiosity. They will eventually leave the beach on their own to figure out how to hunt, but in the meanwhile, tourists are apparently good entertainment for them.

We had a strict policy of not approaching the animals to less than 5 metres. Standing still, however, immediately made us targets of close scrutiny.