Photo: Brian Black

Ice edge forms

Seals breed on the ice

In late Autumn theseals head north to have their pups on the winter ice-field

Photo: Sue Wilson

photo: Pavel Erokhin

How many seals can you see ?1

23 4 5

6 7 89

1011

Photo: Ivar Jüssi

Photo: Sue Wilson

Photo: Sue Wilson

adult

pup mother

Photo: Sue Wilson

Photo: Sue Wilson

Photo: Sue Wilson

mother

pup

Photo: Sue Wilson

Pups follow their mothers......

Photos: Sue Wilson

...and the mother often turns round to make sure her pup is following

This fat pup can swim safely as soon as the ice melts

This mother will soon stoplooking after her pup.

Photos: Sue Wilson

Ice melts

Seals swim away from thenorth east

When the ice melts in the spring, theseals head south again. They haul outon islands ( ) to moult

and start to feed in the deeper waters of themiddle and south Caspian.

Photo: Pavel Erokhin

Thanks to all colleagues in the CISS and Darwin project teams, to the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP) and Agip KCO

Thanks to Sue Wilson, Pavel Erokhin, Ivar Jüssi and Brian Black for Caspian seal images