We must confess: we were keeping a secret from you! But today we are happy to reveal the news. On December 5th, 2024, another grey seal pup was born at the MMBI RAS research site. The female grey seal Buzya became a mother for the third time. It was as if she timed it specifically for the Year of the Family. Our specialists have already determined the pup's sex – it is a male, a boy. Like his brothers Tim and Oscar, he was born healthy and quite large, weighing 48.5 kilograms. This time, the team quickly chose a name for the pup; they called the sturdy baby Imir, after the first giant in Germanic-Scandinavian mythology. Throughout the first month of observations, Imir was healthy and active, he ate well, listened to his mother, and sniffed the two-legged researchers with curiosity. He has now moved to a separate enclosure.
Although male seals are considered poor parents, as they usually swim away without a second thought after mating, the situation with Buzya is special. All three of her pups have the same father – a wild grey seal jokingly nicknamed Chumadan, after the famous scene from Soviet cartoon "I'll get you!". Staff from the Laboratory of Marine Mammals easily recognize this prolific father among other wild research site visitors. For several years now, Chumadan has been swimming up to the enclosures around mid-December. He swims nearby, shows no fear of the scientists' presence, confidently chases away other wild seals, and pays attention to Buzya. Meanwhile, the flexible net barrier surrounding the enclosures of our resident seals, which extends underwater, allows her to choose freely – to refuse or accept his advances. And Tim, Oscar, and Imir eloquently demonstrate that their seal feelings are mutual.
Story coverage by GTRK "Murman"
