Video: Are Some Weddell Seal Pups Couch Potatoes?

Ecologists are investigating whether Weddell seal pups that spend more time in the water learning to swim with their moms have a higher chance of surviving to return and have pups of their own. Weddell seals live all their lives in Antarctica, and are the southernmost mammal in the world. Weddell moms spend a lot of time with their pups coaxing them into the cold Antarctic water and helping them learn to swim. Footage includes interviews with Montana State University ecology professors Bob Garrott and Jay Rotella. Video production by Mary Lynn Price. Additional footage by Jessica Farrer, Jesse DeVoe, Henry Kaiser, Rob Robbins, and Steve Rupp. More information at http://WeddellSealScience.com.