Photo of Seal Pup Kissing Mom Goes Viral (Video)

Weddell seals from Erebus Bay in Antarctica have been studied for decades. One of the scientists, William Link with the U.S. Geological Survey captured a heartwarming moment involving a mother and her pup back in October.
Epoch Video
3/16/2015
Updated:
3/16/2015

Weddell seals from Erebus Bay in Antarctica have been studied for decades -- and now, two of the creatures are having 15 minutes of Internet fame.

Scientist William Link with the U.S. Geological Survey captured a heartwarming moment involving a mother and her pup back in October.

The photo was posted online a few days ago, and it has quickly gone viral.

The image depicts a strong bond between a mother and her pup. As the larger seal relaxed, her baby was cuddled up next to her and planted a kiss on the side of her face. Mom’s eyes were closed while the pup’s eyes were wide open. It looks like these two really love being together.

As you can imagine, the web approves with two big thumbs (or rather, flippers) up. Since it was posted, the photo has been liked tens of thousands of times.